The Pursuit
by Ember Nickel
Summary: With allies and opponents old and new, Tobias continues the Animorphs' battles. 'The more things change, the more they stay the same.'
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: All author's notes besides this one are recommended reading but will be found on Sinister Shadow's forum in order not to inflate my word count. You may want to read the chapters first. (( and )) indicate thoughtspeak.  
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**This chapter is dedicated to bb47 and supersaiyanandilite (sic) for giving me an excuse to write this.**

Chapter 1**  
**  
My name is Tobias.

Yes, that Tobias.

If anyone's reading, or hearing, or just plain knowing this, then whoever it is might be surprised. Or happy to know I survived another of the incidents that make up my life. Or even disappointed for the same reason.

I'm not exactly writing this down. There's no pencil or paper where I am. But the story as I remember it still happened. And since it happened, somehow the universe remembers it. And so if you're hearing this for the first time, know that it wasn't really the first. And I hope it won't be the last.

I was on a spaceship. A stolen spaceship. There was enough room for me to hover over the control panel and stare out at a Blade ship. On that ship, I knew, was something beyond my comprehension. A force that knew no boundaries of good or evil, treating murderers and heroes the same.

Of course, so many of us were both.

My friend-my _shorm_ Ax had been enslaved to that mind. As had a Yeerk I'd never met, but already had made an impression of. It was easier to think that way, of course, with all Yeerks as brutal monsters. I knew this wasn't the case, of course. I'd been jaded: seen too much to hold onto immature concepts.

We were all on edge, waiting for the computer to follow to Jake's command. In a way, the suspense was worse than the actual act of crashing into the looming bulk would be. I-and presumably the others-was convinced it was a delay, that there would be a lag before we would accelerate and be thrown back to the other end of the ship. We waited…and waited…

The Blade ship slowly turned its cumbersome weapons systems at our engine.

"Does anybody know what's going on?" Jake panicked feverishly.

"Oh, _now_ he asks," Marco joked under his breath. Vintage Marco. He'd started the war cynical enough to come through it as himself, or at least the version of himself I remembered. Jake had lost all traces of the kid who'd pulled me out of a toilet…or had he?

"If I may venture a suggestion-" Menderash spoke tentatively.

"Yes?" Jake almost pounced on the poor guy.

"perhaps disabling the auxiliary power functions also shut off voice control?"

"So all we'd have to do is activate it manually?" Jeanne reasoned.

Menderash nodded.

"Where's the button?" Santorelli asked.

Jake pointed to it, his hand only slightly less pale than his face.

But with hawk eyes, I could tell that his grimly set expression was almost a sneer. He knew exactly what he was going into. He knew exactly how small his odds were. And he was doing it.

He'd always been Rachel's cousin. He could have been as reckless as she had. And now, the chance was finally his.

I wanted him to know that I didn't blame him for doing what he had done. For making the toughest call of all…except maybe this one.

Jake had been forced into the role of leader. We-Rachel, Marco, Cassie, and I-had forced him, even if it was easier to blame it on Ax. We all had needed someone to spearhead the defense of Earth against the Yeerks. To take advantage of their rift. To plot a way to end the war once and for all…

and he had needed bait.

Maybe he'd gotten the wrong interpretation, that I was still bitter at him for sending Rachel to her death. Well…I might have been. But what I was really bitter about, and why, nobody could really understand. Least of all me. Cassie might have had an outside chance.

What we'd lost, we'd lost before Rachel attacked Tom on the Blade ship. I can't define it, I can't explain it, but there was a chance-just a chance-that it was coming back.

Of course, I couldn't put all of that into words. So I did the only thing I could think of. I relaxed my wings and perched on the button.

I didn't get a chance to see Jake's reaction in the split-second before the turbulence knocked me off balance. Marco and Jeanne were thrusted to the back: amazingly, the others managed to stay upright. Our engines were fried even before the impact.

We'd hit them in the engine zone as well, so they wouldn't do much better than us without some major repairs. But at the moment we weren't concentrating on that. We were fixated on the fact that they'd been so unprepared for Jake's drastic hit that we'd actually broken through the hull of their ship, and could board it if we were insane enough to. Doing that, however, would require some difficult maneuvering to approach at the correct angle, and we weren't in the best of shape ourselves. Santorelli and Jeanne looked really drained. Menderash might have, although it was hard to tell as he never showed much expression with his face.

So it was (a horrendous parody of) Ax who made it through the doorway first, flanked by fellow mental slaves. I couldn't help myself: I turned away at the sight of the grotesque hole in his face. I kept my eyes open, though; being a hawk, they were some of my most powerful tools.

He bowed. ((Prince Jake.))

"Menderash, set the shredders to stun," Jake said while looking at Ax.

((That won't be necessary.)) I turned back-a bad move-to see the outer edge of his "mouth" move up. A smirk.

"Oh, that is so wrong," Marco closed his eyes in revulsion.

"You're right," Jake shrugged agreeably. "So how about you let us do what we're here to do." Menderash offered Jake a shredder, but he shook his head. "That won't matter with these creeps. Okay…Marco, Jeanne, go into the Blade ship and see if you can disable some of their computer systems. Try not to hurt anyone."

This would be a new war, I realized at that moment. Here, maiming and killing would be pointless. It would be fought in our minds, and of course our ships.

Marco and Jeanne met with no resistance as they passed Ax and the others. They climbed into the Blade ship and began searching for a terminal.

((Do you really think that I need the ship to function?)) The One taunted.

Jake didn't respond. That must have taken guts, as well as fast thinking to realize any answer would hurt his position more than it helped.

I couldn't tell what happened next, but Jake clenched his eyes shut and brushed one of his hands to the side jerkily. "Tobias, don't look, dude," he managed to say, his muscles twitching.

I didn't, although there didn't seem to be much to see before he collapsed on the floor, panting.

((You remain strong for your friends. I respect that.)) A frail Andalite hand moved to Ax's chin in a surprisingly human gesture. Another ploy to get to us? ((I did not mean for this to be difficult.))

Jake pulled himself up for a second while Santorelli fell to his knees, off-balance. "How…" he whispered, shocked.

((See?)) The One continued. Whatever he did next was private to Santorelli. Our shipmate rose, tentatively, and smiled at Jake. "Perhaps watching your friends go first will weaken your resolve."

That, I knew, was wrong. It would only toughen him. But instead of wondering how much tougher he could get without becoming cold to the world-the universe, I selfishly worried how long I could hold out.

My guesses were not encouraging.

((What about Marco and Jeanne?)) I said, trying to change the subject somewhat.

Jake shook his head. "They're okay for now. He'll only take them if I can see it."

((So should we evacuate this area?)) Menderash suggested. Not a bad idea, actually. Unfortunately, it was the last one he came up with. He teetered, his center of gravity falling forward until he hit the floor.

((What are you doing?)) I asked, stunned. Not even Santorelli's temptation had been that weird.

((He is looking for his tail blade.)) The One adopted that perverse smile again.

Finally, Menderash wrenched open the shredder hatch, forgetting the fact that he had dropped one on the floor only moments ago after offering it to Jake. Whatever was happening to his mind, sanity wasn't worth very much.

He cranked it up to the highest setting. Jake knocked it away. "We don't need that against them."

Menderash, his mind blurred by tormenting visions, picked up the one he had first offered to Jake, set it at a middling-high section, aimed haphazardly, and fired twice.

Once was all it took. He crashed to the floor of the ship, blood protruding from a hole in his chest.

In a classic display of bad timing, Marco and Jeanne chose that moment to charge in. "I think it's gonna blow!" Marco warned.

"What is?" "Santorelli" asked, without betraying to Marco his current identity.

"The Blade ship."

"I still do not believe they would have the self-destruct coding so visible." Jeanne typed at our own mainframe.

Marco noticed Menderash. "What the…"

"Jeanne, disengage _The Rachel_," Jake barely moved his lips.

"Already there." She continued inputting commands.

The One, as Santorelli and Ax, walked into the Blade ship. (("Run away. I can wait. I'm never out of time.")) The combination of voices made it sound like a fugue.

We blasted off. For a second I thought we had it made, that the four of us would make it out of there okay. But then I saw Marco looking woozy, and Jake struggling to breath.

"The..." he gestured vaguely. I spotted it immediately. Menderash's lifeless hand was holding the door open.

Jeanne's motion toward the door could be described best perhaps as "controlled free-fall". She kicked his hand out of the crack it was stuck in. But as she did so, the vacuum that claimed his body sucked her leg out as well. Bleeding profusely, she yanked the stump out so the door would close and our air would not dissipate into space.

"Morph!" Marco urged her.

She might have shaken her head blearily, it was hard to tell. But she certainly didn't morph.

Marco tested the joystick. "Our engine's out."

A third of our crew was dead. One was now a part of this "One".

And half of the Animorphs, the defenders of Earth, drifted out through space.


	2. Chapter 2

**Dedicated to Sinister Shadow, for her review of "Kelbrid Tourism Wing", and queenofsheba/Pharrells Girl. "Red Ivy" had baseball, "Buzzer-Beater" had basketball, and the NFL was referenced in "The Blizzard". But I don't think the fourth major U. S. sport has been mentioned in any of my fics. Until this one.**

Chapter 2

"I guess the only way to put it is that it's not fair," Marco brooded.

"Fair? You've never been one to talk about fair," Jake snapped back.

It felt like a lot longer than it probably actually had been. With our engines crippled, there was nothing to do but calculate the days until our food or endurance ran out, something Marco proved proficient at. I tried not to pay attention, and strained myself looking for something-anything-that would break the monotony. ((Is that a spaceship?)) I stretched my wingtip towards an area of space that looked darker than its surroundings, as if something was blocking the intermittent stars.

"No," Marco didn't even look. "No, but seriously. The three of us-well, all of the Animorphs-have, had, whatever you want to use…" He was beginning to remind me of the President-would there be a new one by now? I'd lost track-with his total lack of speaking skills. "…through so much, you know? And then we mess up so bad that the only person able to save us had to die because of it."

((We've had help from a lot of places, Marco,)) I reminded him.

"You don't need to remind me." Jake noticed something on the computer and went to check it while Marco unexpectedly edged closer to me. "Tobias?"

((Yes?))

"Do you think any of them made it out?"

((Any of them who?))

"The auxiliaries."

Change of subject much?

Near the end of the war, we had had to compromise-no, we had compromised-our morals and recruited some disabled kids, or teenagers…whatever…who we were confident the Yeerks wouldn't infest. Another of Jake's brilliant tactics-a brilliance that once again outshone the walls we had constructed to divide ourselves from the Yeerks. They had perished into anonymity.

Or so we assumed. ((In general? Or one specifically?))

"Tobias. Not funny."

Earlier I might have found that comment strange. I ignored him, however, and concentrated on a melodic pattern of static. ((Jake, are you getting a message?))

"Yeah, you might have been right about that spaceship thing. But I can't decipher it." He pulled a switch and the garble stopped.

"Hell-o? We're out in space, light-years probably from anybody, and you're going to give up?" Marco shoved Jake aside and flipped the switch back up. "Microphone?"

"Doesn't matter, they won't speak English."

If I'd been human and in a cheesy TV show, I would have snapped my fingers. ((But they'll understand thoughtspeak.)) I guess I had kind of assumed I would do it, but Jake was already morphing. Marco narrowed his eyes as he saw exactly what Jake was turning into. Good, perhaps, for confusing aliens who had never met humans before. Not the best for dealing with hostile creatures that might not like our invasion into their space.

Four legs, two eyes, one tail. In a word: canine.

"Hey, maybe we'll get lucky and they'll know the Pemalites," Marco shrugged.

((Greetings,)) Jake formally thoughtspoke into the transmitter. ((We are delegates from Earth. We wish to communicate with you. Are you capable of thoughtspeech?))

"I don't think so," a strange voice replied. After a pause, it continued, "Did you hear that?"

((No.))

"Guess not then. But we can speak English."

Well. Made things easier.

"Do you oppose The One?" This voice was identical to the previous one, but differed in an unsettling way I couldn't exactly pinpoint. The first one's _sounds_ were odd, being made with a mouth I didn't recognize. But their _words_ flowed as normally as any human would. The second one spoke an accented type of English, compounding with the fact that the sounds came strangely.

"If they saw us, we can't exactly cover it up," Marco told Jake.

((We do.)) Jake would have literally intoned the words if he were a human, so strong was the depth he put into them.

Alien #1 reclaimed control of the transmitter. "Your spaceship conk out?"

((It was destroyed by the Blade ship.))

There was a pause so long we thought they'd signed off, or just forgotten about us. (It turned out they'd been debating our fate. Lessons to be learned here…) Finally, the second took over. "What was your objective in your gambit?"

((Our gambit?)) Jake echoed.

"Yeah," the first speaker dragged out the vowel. "that whole crash-our-ship-into-theirs type thing. Besides making the ESPN highlight reel…any ulterior motive?"

Marco looked around worriedly. ((Yes, he said ESPN,)) I confirmed.

((We were attempting to disable or weaken the power of The One,)) Jake informed soberly.

((Marco, if we get out of this one alive, remind me to ask Jake where he learned this…for lack of a better word, "Prince" speak.))

Marco threw me a mock salute.

The second alien announced calmly, for a message of such significance, "We'll dock with you momentarily. Will you fit onto our craft?"

"How large is your craft?" Marco wisecracked. But Jake found it relevant and relayed the message anyhow.

"Typical Skrit Na dimensions."

Not knowing what those were, Jake didn't answer.

The other spaceship moved closer to us. ((We're going human, guys)), Jake said as he demorphed. "Shredders on stun."

"Ever the optimist," Marco muttered.

My wings deserted me as I became a gawky, geeky, teenager, nervous out of place next to a demorphing Jake and Marco as young adults. I reached for a shredder and wiggled my fingers, stretching them until they gained flexibility.

Their ship locked into ours. Jake waited for them to open their door before instructing the computer to release ours. We watched as it lowered and we got our first glimpses of a new species.

I'd met too many to count over the three years of the Yeerk war, so I expected I'd be jaded to seeing whatever was inside this ship. But it had been three more years since I'd met any new ones, and the novelty had definitely _not_ worn off.

There were only the two we'd heard inside, identical in appearance. But what an appearance it was. The first thing I would have said about them was "spidery", although that's kind of unfair. (To my credit, they _did_ have eight legs. Each.) The light from their ship was almost piercing compared to the dim emergency-state situation we'd been in, and they literally shimmered in it. It took me a second to realize they were covered in translucent scales.

When the first one we'd heard over the communications system spoke, the sound seemed to come from the top of its "head", if "head" was appropriate for a part of its body that didn't have a neck between it and the torso, (only a wavy blue space), and no eyes, ears, or nose. "Paranoids."

"We have been warned that Kelbrid are highly aggressive," Jake explained.

"Well, ya got that right." It seemed to direct its next sentence towards its companion, although who could tell? "Speaking of which, where are our weapons?"

"What weapons?"

"Explains some things."

Jake extended his right hand. "My name is Jake-" He paused, cutting himself off. "and I am from Earth."

"Earth?" the second alien asked incredulously (it sounded). "I have had poor experiences with Earthers."

"And good ones," the first interrupted.

"Specify one."

Jake intervened. "I am disappointed to know we have made a poor impression. I hope for a chance to remedy that."

"Do you seek an alliance with us?" the second inferred.

"If you have similar goals to ours, then yes, we do." Jake looked awkward with his hand still out there.

"Your goals being to defeat The One?"

He nodded.

"How would you be able to assist us?"

"We are equipped with Andalite morphing technology. We are capable of defeating many forces. However, as you have noticed, our spacecraft is not functioning."

"How extensive is your food supply?"

"Enough to sustain my-my teammates, Marco, here," he gestured, "and Tobias, and myself, for a significant period of time."

"All she really wants to know is whether you're going to try and take control of the ship." It was impossible to tell if the other alien was being sarcastic.

It was serious matter we were going into here, but Marco had apparently missed the memo. "She?"

"I am Rruyshah," the second alien said almost arrogantly. "That is Matrex."

"Mot…what?"

"Matt. You can call me Matt. And I'm male. Don't forget it."

"Oh, I won't," Rruyshah twitched two of her legs at her metallic knees. Surprisingly, they snapped all the way up before coming back. (She had balanced on her other six.)

"May we board your ship?" Jake phrased it as a request, although it hardly was.

"Yes."

And so we made two allies.

I demorphed and fluttered onto the uncomfortable ship. At least, it was uncomfortable for me. Cluttered, for one thing. Then I saw Jake and Marco start lugging things over from _The Rachel_ into our new residence. I felt stupid for not helping, but got the feeling it would look even stupider if I started now. So I tried to carry on a conversation. ((Are we trying to find where the Blade ship would be?))

"After it kills or generally disposes of half of us and destroys our ship? I think not," Marco remarked.

Jake rounded on him. "Okay, wise guy, got any better ideas?"

Marco called to the others, "You're Kelbrid, right?"

"Yes," Rruyshah replied almost unnaturally quickly.

"So don't you have any allies you could round up?"

"No."

Marco shrugged. "Okay then. Plan B."

"Plan _A_," Jake corrected.

((How exactly do we find them?))

"I'm not sure…maybe there's technology on this ship that could do it?"

"There's just about everything on this ship," Matt hollered, "if you poke through the clutter."

Sure enough, he was right. The computer we found was actually pretty sweet. Voice recognition, for one, but not English, or even thoughtspeak. ((Can you work this?)) I asked the Kelbrid.

Rruyshah said something to it in _Galard_. Luckily, it reacted. Less luckily, it reacted by blowing up.

"Out of all the commands you could give it, you choose self-destruct?" Jake seethed.

"Is there a problem with that?" Matt retorted.

((It couldn't have gotten far, could it?)) I timidly pointed out. ((How much damage did we do?))

"Enough," Jake nodded, "to hurt significantly."

"So wherever it's going," assumed Marco, "it's going for repairs. Matt, Rruyshah…what planets are close enough to fix it?"

((Close doesn't matter through Z-space, does it?))

"And z-space changes shape, I think. So we'd have to know where the closest repair stations to us-several-hours-ago are."

"Are our old coordinates still stored on the computer?" Matt hoped.

"They should be." Rruyshah clambered over and lifted two of her flexible limbs to view the data. "Hmm…should be…three or so planets with those capabilities in their range."

"They are?" Jake prompted.

"None look promising. One has obscenely low average temperatures but sentient residents. The other two are in the same system, orbiting a sun that has exploded."

"How do you know all of this junk?" Matt asked. Good question.

"I was drilled incessantly. I worked in the tourism wing on my home planet."

"_Your_ home planet? Same as his, isn't it?" Marco critiqued.

"_We_ are sophisticated enough to inhabit multiple planets."

"Ah. Sorry I asked."

"How low did you say those temperatures were?" Jake got us back on track.

"Approximately…I don't remember." Rruyshah admitted.

"We don't know what The One can tolerate," Marco contributed.

"Only some of its…units, or whatever would have to go outside to fix the ship. And…we know some of them can handle low temperatures." Jake averted his eyes from me.

((It's okay,)) I privately consoled him. The Yeerk that had killed Rachel had been in a polar bear morph, and we knew it was now part of The One.

"So that planet's our first stop?" Marco deducted.

"Looks like it. Everything ready?"

"Mmhmm."

We closed the hatch to _The Rachel_, now a silent tomb. Rruyshah took the helm, and we entered Z-space.

It must have folded on itself, because it certainly wasn't a short trip. We finally emerged and viewed the planet we'd be landing on shortly. It looked like a glossy marble, covered in swirls of gray and white.

"Tobias," Marco whispered. "Look at Jake."

I looked. The spacesuit he had been wearing now looked like it didn't fit. Neither, for that matter, did Marco's, but he didn't seem to be noticing it. ((Yours is big too.))

"Yeah," he nodded. "Jake?"

"What?" He spoke in a strangely high voice.

"We've shrunk."

"Not just shrunk." Jake removed his helmet, giving us a clearer picture of what had happened. "We've…we're…"

"Thirteenish?" Marco filled in.

((Don't ask me, but yeah.))

"There do not seem to be any areas designated for landing." Rruyshah took manual control of the ship; I could tell the exact moment when she did by the sudden erratic motion.

"I thought you said there was technology?" Matt raised his voice.

"We were informed there was spaceflight here!"

"Makes you wonder what The One would want here."

"Probably just needed repair," Jake answered.

Rruyshah gave an alternate possibility. "There might be some resource here they can exploit."

"They could be laying a trap for us," Matt said darkly.

((They might have gone to one of the other planets.))

"No, you're all wrong," Marco grinned. "I know the _real_ reason why they, or it, is here."

"Do tell," Jake dryly encouraged him.

Marco indicated the icy surface. "They're here to compete in the all-galaxy hockey tournament."

I only had one nightmare about the Anati homeworld, but I woke from it wondering what we would have done if we had known who was so close to being right.


	3. Chapter 3

**Dedicated to WretchedOne/thisgirlsnot grey and Gerlan/Indar/Voran/Ket Halpak/Abomination/..., in camaraderie.**

Chapter 3

Rruyshah almost skidded onto the planet's surface. She'd found an inhabited area, although I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

"We have morphs that are suited for life at low temperatures, so we can go out and see if it will be safe for you," Jake tried to be helpful.

"Yeah, because you're the reigning expert on Kelbrid," Matt played the antagonist.

"You can go out there then!" Rruyshah simpered.

"Never mind…"

"Polar bear?" Marco looked at Jake.

He nodded. "If that's okay…"

((It's fine.)) I knew he was really only concerned about me.

Marco started the powerful morph. Jake followed, and finally I began the weird process. Afraid I'd crush the ship, I ducked outside to finish it, along with the others.

((There they are,)) I pointed. But as soon as my morph finished, I could no longer see them.

((Where?)) Marco turned to me.

((Out that way…I think…))

((Let's go.)) Jake started in the direction I had gestured.

The aliens we were approaching had poor eyesight, relative to us, and we saw them first, although with difficulty as they blended into the background. In a way, they looked like us: large and white-furred. But we very quickly saw that the differences were superficial.

((Is it just me,)) Marco directed his worry to both of us, ((or are those…Yeti?))

((For the sake of…ah…diplomacy, we might want to assume it's just you,)) Jake counseled. ((Hello,)) he announced to the lumbering creatures. ((We are delegates from Earth.))

That definitely got a reaction. The five of them looked around at each other in shock.

((We are approaching you slowly. Can you see us?)) Jake continued. One of them opened its mouth, but we couldn't hear anything. Jake beckoned us to come forward until we were about I'd say a football field apart. ((Are you able to communicate with us?))

The one that had opened its mouth spoke something we didn't understand. "Daunla Anati. Nagada klin duretti."

((Are you capable of speaking _Galard_?)) To us he added, ((We don't know if the Kelbrid can handle this, but they might be all we've got.))

"Ag, agda."

((Take that as a no,)) Marco interpreted.

((For all we know this _is_ _Galard_,)) Jake replied.

((Let me try something…Has a Blade ship been here?))

One of the other aliens muttered something to the others and they took off at what looked like a run for them (i. e. about the speed I ran the mile in elementary school…always last place. Not to complain, but I only got in the single-digits for minutes once. And I think that might have been the gym teacher taking pity on me.).

((Good sign,)) Jake nodded approvingly.

((Should we tell the others to fly over here? Maybe we can catch up with them.)) Marco ventured.

((I don't know about you, but I'm not letting that Kelbrid fly me around-manually-for one nanosecond longer than I have to.))

((We can still go back and tell them to come here.))

((Okay, sure.))

Marco started to demorph. ((AHH!)) He quickly reverted the changes. ((No way they're going to be able to handle this.))

Jake turned to him. ((There's a way…))

((No. There's no way I trust them with the morphing cube.))

((We need Rruyshah to translate.))

((The first thing she tells a computer to do is self-destruct. And Matt…I'm not dissing ESPN, but there is no way it broadcasts on the Kelbrid homeworld. I'd rather give these Yeti the morphing cube and let them on our ship.))

((Marco, they're on our side. They let us on their ship.))

((How long do we have in morph?)) I worried.

((We should get back…I wonder if the Kelbrid will let us fly the spaceship? Or if Rruyshah would let Matt?))

((I don't think they get along too well,)) Marco negated.

((What if those others,)) I pointed towards where the aliens were traipsing off, ((come back and we're not there?))

((Doesn't seem likely.)) Marco turned around and started going back. We followed.

((How cold can this planet really be?)) Jake looked up at what might have been the sun, but it was so small that that was hard to believe. ((I mean, polar bears evolved on Earth. So if we're walking around, it can't be that drastically different from Earth.))

((You want to try and demorph, go ahead.))

We reached the Kelbrid ship and demorphed into its warmth. "How'd it go?" Matt immediately asked us.

"We can't talk to them, but they understood our thoughtspeak. As soon as Marco mentioned the Blade ship, they left. Very slowly, so we could catch up to them if we wanted to."

Rruyshah turned to the computer.

"Eh, that's the thing," Marco winced. "I don't really…want to fly manually again."

"Really? Would you prefer to program this piece of…metal?" she challenged.

"Yeah, actually, I would…" He took control and began trying to configure it. I helped the best I could, which wasn't much more than making sometimes-lucky guesses.

We were probably about to electrocute ourselves when Rruyshah exclaimed, "What was that?" She pointed out the window at something that had _whooshed_ by.

"Large, black, shaped like an axe, ominous. Blade ship."

"Rruyshah, Matt, do you think you could manage outside? It's significantly colder than Earth," warned Jake.

I realized something. ((What about the fact that we survived being in the same spaceship?))

"That's actually…what do Kelbrid breathe?"

"On our home planet sulfur, but we've…evolved…to go beyond that," Rruyshah bragged.

"And, therefore, different temperatures too!" Matt exclaimed brightly.

"Are you asking me or telling me?"

"_That's_ what I mean," hissed Marco. "They use too-human expressions."

Jake rolled his eyes. "Do you think you can go out there?"

"Yes." For the first and last time they answered in unison.

Marco morphed fastest, surprisingly since he'd never been the best morpher. Jake and I did so in kind, and the five of us disembarked.

The Blade ship was parked behind us. Those same five Yeti were standing outside it. Jake addressed them. ((Who is in that ship?))

The only one of them who had talked to us replied in their own language.

"No, I don't," Rruyshah spoke. It was a bit of a non sequitur, but I quickly figured out Jake had asked if she knew it.

Jake tried again. ((May we enter the ship?)) They had begun to figure out we didn't understand them, so they simply unlatched the door. Matt climbed in first, followed by the rest of us. ((Here's the deal, we don't touch anyone. Any technology that we can disable, go for it.))

((Preferably without using a sledgehammer,)) Marco added wryly.

We split up and searched the ship. It was spacious, almost overly so. I demorphed to fly around, but even with hawk's eyes could find no secret door or anywhere leading to where Ax or the others might be, in body if not mind.

I wound up in the control room. The computers were off, so I morphed human to turn them on try and access any data that would be useful. Marco found me hunched over. ((Aren't we supposed to be deleting this?)) He was still in morph. ((Never mind. If this is anything like a video game I can take over. And it is.)) He demorphed, as did I to watch him. After several clicks he pointed to a message on the screen. "This is as far as we're allowed to go."

We searched for the others, none of whom had met with any success either. When we'd all gathered in the room, Rruyshah translated. "This ship has been released from the Yeerk fleet. The former commander has been demoted of Visser rank. Relevant concerns should be directed to Sub-Visser Nine." What looked almost like a coat of arms was displayed after the text.

"Moral of the story," Matt said redundantly, "this ain't the right Blade ship."


	4. Chapter 4

**Dedicated to CheeGirl101/ShadowAngelofDeath...thinking about "Anti-Taxxon"ness reminded me of all the great posts she makes in the "Clubs" section at Sinister's forum (where my Author's Notes still are).**

Chapter 4

Jake took over the computer. "There still might be something here useful…"

Intuition led a now-demorphed Marco to a link. "Click that."

Jake seemed mildly resentful at being bossed around, but clicked it.

"What does it do?" Rruyshah tapped her limbs on the floor, one after another. Immediately, we heard the same sorts of noises the aliens outside had made, only stilted.

"Is that _Galard_?" Again, computerized sounds, including "_Galard_".

((I wonder if that's a translator…)) No reply to this. It didn't pick up thoughtspeak.

Marco nodded. "It wouldn't translate words like _Galard_ without an equivalent in another language." Our proof came when his "echo", too, contained "_Galard_".

"Jackpot," Jake grinned. "Should I try to bring in the Yeti?"

Rruyshah was baffled. "Yeti?"

"Marco can explain." He headed out. We heard him in his polar bear morph a few minutes later. ((How do the Yeerks find their way around these things? Oh…here's the door.)) He led only one in. ((Guys?)) he told us. ((We may have a problem here. Our spaceship's gone.))

The alien spoke, and the computer repeated the message. In _Galard_. So we got it thirdhand, from Rruyshah. "It said…the last people from the sky tried to enslave them. So they will not let us go."

We hadn't figured out that the computer would translate that, too, so the alien was probably confused by that. ((It's the computer,)) Jake apologized. ((However, we have a crucial mission. We can not be detained on this planet. We only want to leave you.))

Through Rruyshah, we received their reply. "Their folk cannot grant us our requests, as we are unable to earn to be perfect."

"What? You mean _learn_ to be perfect?" Matt thought he could correct her.

"Earn…what is the word for top excellence?"

The alien was probably going insane by now with all this translation bouncing around. Jake got us back on track. ((How is perfection earned among your folk?))

After the alien spoke, the computer took a long time before its _Galard_ message to Rruyshah. "No _Galard _translation."

((Can you show us?))

"The…um…some word that doesn't translate, is not close," Rruyshah relayed.

((We can go far distances.))

It walked out of the Blade ship-this guy went for showing over telling-to where its comrades waited. They conversed in their own language, and then started lumbering towards a gray streak of ice. Jake and Marco morphed birds, and the three of us were there in literally less than two minutes. I(('ve gotta remember that "not close" isn't saying much at their speed, ))Marco remarked.

We scanned the area. It was an irregular circle, with two lines drawn on the circumference equally spaced. Each one was about five feet long, but that was not much next to the gargantuan size of the circle itself. If we were talking creatures-we-thought-were-just-legends-on-Earth, this could have been Nessie's swimming pool. If it wasn't frozen over…

Outside the circle were ten long and very sharp sticks made of ice, as well as a silver disk.

Marco pointed out something we'd overlooked. ((Where are the Kelbrid?))

Jake turned and saw the Blade ship rocketing towards us. ((Three guesses?))

It (probably crash-) landed and they stumbled out. "Never, ever, again…" Matt muttered.

((What about that whole landing-on-this-planet-thing? Were you awake for that?)) Marco refreshed Matt's memory.

"Oh yeah…that. Whatever. What's taking them so long?"

((Their speed,)) Jake said tersely.

((We-well, you-had better demorph,)) I directed my anxious thoughtspeak to Jake and Marco. They did so, in the warmth of the ship. After morphing polar bear, they came back and waited with us until the aliens finally showed up.

((What do you do here?)) Jake indicated the circle.

They had to enter the ship and go to the computer room in order for us to understand their answer, which made the Kelbrid actually look intelligent. "They…" Rruyshah struggled to translate, "compete."

((We will compete with you, if you would return our spaceship.))

((Speaking of which, where _is_ the thing?)) Marco asked us privately. ((They couldn't have gotten far.))

There was a flurry of activity as the aliens talked amongst themselves, the computer dutifully repeated it, and Rruyshah was bombarded with messages. When they'd shut up and were staring at us, waiting for a reply, she indignantly commanded, "So what was all that?" A license for them to repeat their discussion again…Finally, she was able to force it all out. "Three of them will not compete with us, one will, the other only if we don't have any "great-mouth-and-fast-many-legs"."

((Fast-many-legs? Do you mean Taxxons?)) Jake filled in.

They did.

((Why do you not want to compete with us?))

((Yeah, surely us aliens are pushovers,)) Marco added before Jake shot him a look.

As it turned out, they-"not these five here, but Anati in general…they're not very clear on that fact," Rruyshah noted-had only played one team of people-from-the-sky before. And lost. So we were actually imposing.

((The Yeerks,)) Jake explained patiently, ((probably wanted to enslave you. We mean you no harm. We only want to access our spaceship and search for our own enemies.))

A different one than the one we'd been hearing most of the time spoke. After hearing the computer's translation, Rruyshah admitted, "This one might be okay. As long as we don't have Taxxons it'll give us a fair shot."

"Do you get the feeling these guys are into honor like the Andalites?" I couldn't tell whether Matt was being serious or not.

((Probably,)) agreed Marco.

"Let me handle this one. Rruyshah, ask them how much honor they could earn by beating the pants off us."

"But we are not wearing pants?" She phrased it as a question.

"Just by beating us."

She did. They considered this for a while before the leader gave their verdict. "The Yeerks made more high theirselves by competing."

((We do not want to be…uh…)) Jake tried to find a more formal word. ((exalted. Only to leave in peace.))

Anti-Taxxon spoke up again. "You would not make us follow the tradition of losing?"

((If you would give us our spaceship, we would request nothing more.))

Long debate. Rruyshah raised her six of her feet-more aptly claws-and covered six of her knees with them. At last, they agreed. "We will not follow the tradition. We will play with you."


	5. Chapter 5

**Dedicated to Quillian, for referencing _Ender's Game_ in his _Progression_.**

Chapter 5

The Anati purposefully walked out onto the circle. We followed them, as polar bear and Kelbrid, trying to mimic their behavior. They each picked up one of the long sticks. With hands, it was easy to do the same, although they were surprisingly difficult to maneuver. The Kelbrid, on the other hand, were barely able to even get them off the ground. Matt experimented and found it almost worked to grasp his between two of his claws and extend it outwards, a tactic Rruyshah copied.

One of the Anati stood near one of the lines on the edge. ((Which one is that?)) Jake attempted to research our opponents.

"I think that's the one that would compete against us even if we had a Taxxon team," Rruyshah replied.

The leader, or at least spokes…being…stood next to Anti-Taxxon about halfway between the edge and middle of the circle. The other two moved out to the middle. One "sprinted", if you could call it that, to the silver disk. After putting the tip of its stick on it, it dragged it out.

We congregated by the other line. There was a brief period of inactivity before we were set upon by the nearest four Anati, who shunted the disk between them. They might not have been fast, but they could sure maul. ((Hockey! I called it!))

((Could you possibly restrain your celebration, Marco?)) Jake was shoved by a plodding Anati.

"How do we do this?" Rruyshah asked.

((Play this game? We have to get that puck down past that line,)) Marco assumed.

Rruyshah immediately released her stick and started clambering to pick up the puck itself. This did not go very well for her, as an Anati tried to step on her head.

((We need a new game plan.)) Jake herded us towards our "goal", if that was what it was, and we formed a human-we formed a wall that the Anati futilely tried to penetrate. ((I think it's two forwards, two defense? At least on their side?))

"I'll be a forward," volunteered Matt.

((Me too.)) Marco only gave his rationale to Jake and me: ((To make sure he doesn't attempt to kill any of the Yeti.))

((Anati,)) Jake corrected him. ((Rruyshah, want to defend with me?))

"No."

((_Will_ you?))

"Yes."

((Hey, what about me?)) I did not like the way things were going.

Jake looked over at me apologetically. ((Good question.))

((You'd better have a really good answer.)) The Anati regrouped for a charge at us. I tried to ignore my teammates on the periphery, and kicked one of my feet. It made contact with the puck, which slid back across the ice.

((You might just have given it to him,)) Marco commented as he set off with Matt.

Rruyshah abandoned me by several yards. ((You'll be fine,)) Jake counseled as he joined her.

Yeah. As if.

If being one fifth of the wall had been bad, I was literally assaulted. I poked my stick this way and that, trying to let my instinct do it for me but failing miserably. At last, Matt began annoying the Anati long enough that I could get a word in edgewise. ((How long do we play for?))

((Good question,)) Jake glanced up at the sky-trying to guess how far the sun had gone? ((No clocks for these folks, and I'm not sure how long we have left.))

((Not a good sign,)) Marco poked at the puck. ((Should we demorph in the ship?))

((One at a time.))

((Yeah…for some reason I don't like the concept of goaltending Kelbrid.)) Marco entered the ship and became a human once more, still as oddly young as he'd been after popping out of Z-space. He remorphed and returned to the rink.

The Anati seemed to be slowing down a little, as evidenced by the fact that I was not counting the seconds until my death. Unfortunately, the same fear that I'd learned to accept as part of life during the war was now returning to that comfortable little niche in my brain I was naïve enough to think it had vacated.

Jake quickly went into the ship when Marco had reimmersed in the game. He, too, came out soon after, with a new two-hour lease on his body. ((Go ahead, Tobias.))

I entered the ship, keeping my focus on the game, and demorphed. It looked like Matt had been stunned by walking into one of the sticks, but maybe that was just the blur of my eyes as they became the raptor's sharp tools.

I looked again. Yes, he had.

((Tobias!)) Jake urged. ((Hurry up!))

((Doesn't matter,)) Marco resigned pessimistically. ((We're as doomed without you as with you.))

((There's always a chance.)) I started on my polar bear morph again.

((Yeah, a chance they'll forfeit.))

A moment later, Marco began to laugh. ((What's so funny?))

((Rruyshah's idea that they'd forfeit if we changed the rules of the game.)) The puck bounced off Jake, lost in thought.

((Yeah, they'll go on about tradition.)) Marco pushed the puck away.

((The rules. The rules. Tobias! How far are you morphed?))

About halfway. ((You could look over and find out.))

((Go back to hawk. I hate to ask you to have to do this, but…I need you to morph Taxxon.))

Marco apparently thought that was nothing new. ((Any reason you didn't do that an hour ago?))

I concentrated on the gruesome form. My head was first to go, replaced by a hideous opening that resembled what now scarred Ax's face. My wings smeared against the tubular Taxxon torso. Dozens of spindly legs seemed a poor substitution for my fierce claws.

And then, the instinct. The hunger! Those slow, defenseless-no, they had those sticks.

I skidded out onto the ice. ((Hard to navigate,)) I apologized.

Jake reached down and picked up the stick I had abandoned. ((How do you want to hold this?))

((Oh, any way is fine.)) Eventually we managed to stick it between several of my hands. ((You should probably move up.))

((Okay.)) He left the goal area and came to Rruyshah's level. As per usual, the disk came sliding my way. This time, however, I could tell where it was coming and shot it back past the startled Anati and toward Matt, who was beginning to regain some of his functions.

The leading Anati dropped his stick and angrily strutted towards the ship. Jake waved Rruyshah toward him for a hurried conference. Meanwhile, we continued three-on-four. Only it hardly felt like we were at a disadvantage. I was turning the disk away almost as fast as they could bring it at me. One of them probably got less than a foot from the line before slipping. ((Lucky.))

((Luck?)) crowed Marco, who had backed up somewhat with both our defenders inside. ((I'd slip on that too.))

((But on what?))

((Well, it's liquid, and it matches the color of the hole in your…well, wherever your shoulder would be if you had one. How do you handle all that, anyhow?))

((All what?)) Another block off my legs.

((That.))

((Oh…that? Let's just say this, I get the feeling if I let one go by, it could hurt a lot worse.))

((Don't we all…))

"Marco, up here! Could your osprey morph carry the disk?" Matt asked.

((What?))

"We're not going to be able to score. We need to get drastic."

((Here's drastic.)) Marco approached Matt and started to grab his stick away.

"What are you doing?"

((Shut up and give me the thing.))

"Uh-uh. I don't think so."

((Too bad your opinion doesn't count.))

Arguing with each other (Marco was never able to gain possession of the stick), they'd left a clear path open for me to be generally subjected to multiple shots on goal. When I was finally able to deflect the disk up to them, each stretched their own stick towards it, battling for control instead of trying to score. Eventually, they formed a huge mass in possession of the disk that by sheer force of size could move past the Anati. With both Marco and Matt pulling it towards themselves, the disk crossed the line.

The four Anati stood in shock, none knowing what to do. Their leader, along with Jake and Rruyshah, emerged at that instant. ((Okay, guys, there's been a change-)) Jake stopped and saw us standing still. ((What's going on?))

"We won!" Matt dropped his stick.

((Oh, yeah, like it was such a team effort. ) Marco put his down as well, walking up to the ship to demorph.

The Anati leader walked over to the others and began telling them something.

((What happened in the ship?)) I joined Marco.

Jake had already demorphed in it. "Well, we agreed that if we were allowed to use you in Taxxon morph, then we'd follow their tradition. Whatever that is."

Marco pointed to the middle of the circle. The Anati were arranged in a line, with the one Marco and Matt had almost bowled over in the middle. "That, maybe?"

Jake morphed again. ((Do you need us out there?))

Their nonverbal reply was infinitely stronger than any statement could have been.


	6. Chapter 6

**Dedicated to TheseBrokenWings, writer of a great oneshot ("Whirlwind").**

Chapter 6

The Anati held their sticks as if posing for a team picture. The one in the middle calmly raised its and jerked it back through its chest. "Um…" Matt stared.

Their leader followed suit, their head dully thudding against the ice. Jake snapped out of his horrified position as spectator, demorphing as he raced into the ship and pulled out two shredders. After dialing them down just below "stun", he tossed one to Marco and started shooting. Between the two of them, they were able to incapacitate the Anati. "Rruyshah, Matt, go grab their sticks away."

They trundled off more slowly than we were used to, almost as if they were reluctant to save three lives, and removed the sticks. It didn't take long for the Anati to realize they were not in fact dead. But without a leader, they didn't seem to want to communicate with us.

Jake morphed-again!-and gave his ultimatum. ((We are confiscating your weapons.))

They didn't seem to care very much, and returned to the expanse they had come from.

"Do you think maybe they're under the control of The One?" surmised Matt.

"Unfortunately not." Jake demorphed as we closed the door to the ship.

((What are they?)) I tried to shake the image of their unconcerned fall from my head.

"Anati." Rruyshah looked at the ship's computer. "Should we head for the other system?"

"Why not?" Marco shrugged. He stepped forward to Jake and whispered something that caused Jake to narrow his eyes, shake his head, and whisper something back. Marco responded in kind.

"Don't you get offended they leave you out?" Matt started up a conversation with me.

((Nah…))

"I would."

"But you are left out now," Rruyshah interrupted.

"So I'm offended then."

Marco finished his conversation with Jake and tried to make small talk. "So…Matt. Do you work in tourism too?"

"No."

Put an end to things.

((Rruyshah, are we going to go through Z-space?))

"It would be faster."

((I don't think it would be safe. If Jake and Marco lose six years in one jump, who knows what would happen if we keep going?))

"The Ellimist," Marco joked.

((How long would it take if we didn't use Z-space?))

"Approximately…Matrex? What unit of time measurement does this species use?"

He paused before decisively stating, "Nanoseconds."

"And how long are they?"

"Hey, hold it," Jake rolled his eyes. "Matt, I'm not sure where you got that, but we don't use nanoseconds."

"You were just talking about them," he retorted.

"Let's go through Z-space," Marco decided. "If I do get younger, at least I won't look like a dorky teenager."

((What if it affects your brain, too?)) I worried.

"We still kept all our memories," Jake tried to reassure us. "We'll be fine. Go ahead, Rruyshah."

Somehow (I have quite the suspicion it was on purpose) she managed to turn off auto-pilot _before_ the jump, leaving us at the mercy of gravity for a few dysfunctional seconds. The stark nonexistence surrounding us was jarring at first, but I quickly adjusted to it.

"It might still be a while," Rruyshah mercifully restored autopilot. "Matrex, would you like to pass the time by-"

He didn't let her finish. "No."

I looked over at Jake, who shrugged. "We might be better off staying out of their business."

"You got that right," Marco looked warily over at Matt. "And then some."

"Marco, we need to trust them."

((I think they can hear everything we're saying.))

"Rruyshah, is there anyplace private on this ship?"

"Yes."

She could really be aggravating. "Where?"

She pointed to an opening which we crawled through. It led to a dark cargo bay. We entered warily. "They're probably going to lock us out," Marco whispered.

"Marco, think about it. They need our help as much as we need theirs. More, even."

"Wanna run that by me again?"

"Think about it: they hadn't tried anything as far as attacking goes. They didn't have any weapons."

"Didn't? As in now they do?"

"How would they take it if we kept the shredders for ourselves?"

Marco grudgingly accepted Jake was right on that one.

"Remember the Leerans?"

"Of course."

"They had to have been created or evolved somehow. We know there are telepaths out there. Maybe Kelbrid are similar."

"Actually, they remind me less of Leerans and more of…Tobias, help me out here."

((The first time in the Yeerk pool.))

Jake's face paled. He, too, remembered the behemoth Visser Three had morphed: eight heads and eight legs. But he tried to remain confident. "The Kelbrid haven't exactly been breathing fire at us."

"Well, they're not exactly on the swim team either."

He threw his hands up in exasperation. "Listen, what do you want me to do?"

"I guess just be careful."

"I think you'll take enough care for both of us."

((Then you can cover for me, Jake.))

He blushed. "Yeah…I'll do that."

I'd always had a knack for avoiding attention. The most infamous I'd ever become (obviously before the war ended) was as a great person to push into toilets. After a while, even that became routine. I preferred it that way. Even something as simple as reminding them I was there like that would have been something major before. So somehow, the war had forced me to expose a little more of myself, just as it had forced Jake inward.

That wasn't true, I corrected myself. The aftershock had done that: the attention had acted as a catalyst to erode him even as he was already being eaten away from the inside. Now, in the anonymity of this war, he could restore himself again. Tempered by the loss of Menderash, Santorelli, and Jeanne, he was a new leader.

"Okay," Marco said, heading back towards the main area of the ship. "Hey!" He'd stubbed his toe. "There's an iPod in here!"

Jake almost laughed. "Finders keepers?"

"Sweet." He picked it up and climbed out into the bright helm. "How's it going?"

"Don't interrupt me!" Matt was fully engaged in a game that involved stacking some small plastic objects on top of each other. It toppled over. "I win."

"You do not!" Rruyshah began putting the things back in a box. "When I knocked it over last time, you won because I knocked it over. So I win this one."

"Count to ten, Marco," Jake whispered.


	7. Chapter 7

**Dedicated to Tom Stoppard, greatest of all fanfictioneers.**

Chapter 7

The Kelbrid finally noticed us. "Hello," Rruyshah said. "Welcome back."

"Hey wait a minute!" Something clicked in Matt's brain, or as Marco would amend, excuse for one. "We _are_ back! As in, on this Skrit Na thing that the Anati stole, and not the Blade ship!"

Marco's eyes opened in surprise. "You're right!" then muttered, "for once…"

I investigated a hatch, morphing human to open the door. "Check this out-we're attached to the underside of the Blade ship."

Rruyshah pulled herself up to inspect it, making every effort to trample me in the process but fortunately failing. "No more sleeping in the cargo bay!"

"Are we pulling it?" Matt joined Rruyshah where the ships met.

"I think it's gravity."

"So two ships." Marco nodded his approval. "Does this mean two elaborate Andalite naming ceremonies?"

((We seem to be running low on Andalites.))

"What was the name of the ship you so…sacrificially…annihilated?" Rruyshah's knowledge of English was sporadic, but she could come up with some big words when she felt like it.

I let Jake answer. "The _Rachel_."

"Rachel?" Both Kelbrid sounded shocked.

"Rachel was one of our…our team, in the war against the Yeerks. It was named in her honor."

Rruyshah needed clarification. "Yeerks? Four of your species opposed the Yeerks?"

"There were six of us. Cassie, who remains on Earth, and Aximili, an Andalite, who has been absorbed into The One."

"And…?" Matt urged.

"The others on the _Rachel_ were not involved with the resistance."

"No, but like wasn't there another kid?"

In fact, there had been. Marco was succinct about it: "Yes. Who betrayed us."

"Tough luck."

"Who was this Rachel? Was she well-known among your species?" Rruyshah's interest had been piqued.

"Our war was…" Jake, still in the Skrit Na ship, looked down at the floor that seemed to float in the low gravity. "secret until the very end. She became famous, but only after her death."

"Famous among your…humans, you're called, correct?"

Jake nodded.

"Humans only, or Andalites as well?"

"Mostly humans," Marco was almost wistful, but quickly returned to normal. "The Andalites are still a little jealous that we beat the Yeerks without their help."

(("Little"?)) I wryly repeated.

I had met many Andalites since the war had ended. Almost as aloof with them as I had been with humans, I let none of them in on my glorious and tragic secret. Somehow, defying the normal setup of the space-time continuum, I was the son of Elfangor-Sirinial-Shamtul.

When we did talk, it was mostly about how the Ellimist had interfered to return my morphing power. Not a significant subject to me-before this mission, I had remained in hawk shape for most of the time. No, I didn't know how I was so lucky, as they saw it.

Most things that happened, regardless of whether Jake took blame for them or not, were random occurrences that had been forced by everything that happened before. ((Jara Hamee,)) I spontaneously remembered.

"The Hork-Bajir? Since when has he been involved?" Marco reacted.

((We could name one of the ships for him.))

"Better make it the Skrit Na one," Jake smiled regretfully. "I don't think he'd appreciate having a Blade ship named after him."

"Who would?" Marco phrased it rhetorically.

"Visser Three wouldn't have minded."

"He's dead?" Matt stopped his progress down the hallway of the unnamed ship and began walking back towards us. He didn't turn around: then again, there wasn't much of a need to. The Kelbrid looked identical from every direction.

"Imprisoned."

Rruyshah's voice came from farther down the shaft. "Who is Visser Three?"

"Yeerk that tried to take over the planet," Matt summarized.

"Which planet?"

"Earth."

"And failed?"

"Apparently."

She stomped into view. "Anyone incapable of taking over a planet inhabited by your species does not deserve anything to be named after him!"

Ouch.

Jake was looking at Marco with concern. "You serious?" Evidently I had missed some conversation in there.

"Sure," he shrugged. "From what we've seen, she was just as capable as Visser Three if not more."

"Okay, everybody, how does "Visser One" sound?"

No objections from the Kelbrid. ((Fine by me.))

"Sounds good."

"I'm getting my own room!" Matt tore off (not very fast: it was impractical for Kelbrid to sprint on eight legs) down the hallway.

"Are the accommodations here really that bad?"

But Rruyshah didn't answer either. She was already chasing Matt.

((So much for investigating those other planets.))

"We just need a break," Marco sounded fatigued.

Jake nodded. "It's cool. Why don't you settle in up there, I'll try to make the computer work."

Marco headed off.

((There'd better be plenty of space in there. If any of those three have to share a room…well, let's just say they won't.))

"It's a Blade ship." Jake touched a screen, but it didn't react. "There should be lots of accommodations. Speaking of which, why don't you go claim a little…er…"

((I had a nest on _The Rachel_.))

"Did we bring it over?"

((No.))

He flung out his hands, making him look like a world (galaxy?)-weary adult…oh yeah, he was still nineteen. Not a middle-schooler. The tip of his finger made contact with a button on the low ceiling, which prompted a message from the computer in a language we didn't recognize. The _Jara Hamee_ began to vibrate. Jake ran to the hatch to close it, hoping to avoid a repeat of our last docking with a Blade ship.

((Jake, the other door!))

As we continued revving up, and the whiteness of Z-space gleamed outside the windows, he was able to close both and dive back in. The acceleration finally began, and we took off. Jake lay down on the floor. "Sorry."

((It's okay.))

"Do you know how to navigate this thing?"

((Well, Marco and the others will obviously figure out we're not here. So wait for them to radio us?))

"And trust that we know the right buttons to push to respond?"

((Do you remember which button you pushed to get us into Z-space? It might just get us back out.))

He reached up. "Here…somewhere. I won't risk it."

((We don't have any other choice.))

"We always have a choice."

((Your call.))

He reached up to the button panel. "I…I can't do it."

((Yes you can, and you know it.))

He shook his head. "I never get a choice in the matter, really though. Do I?"

((You're asking me?))

A second later we were shot into real space once again.


	8. Chapter 8

**Dedicated to Kharina**

Chapter 8

We underestimate the atmosphere a lot, I guess. Obviously, there's that whole not-being-able-to-breathe-without-it thing. But there's also the way the haze and stuff in it blocks out the sky. I'd looked up at the stars a lot as a kid, but I learned very quickly there's an unthinkable difference between the clearest country night on Earth and the dazzling view from space.

In the random sector we emerged in, a golden blur drifted out of view on the left of the _Jara Hamee_'s screen, which compared to a Dome or Blade ship's wasn't even all that big. A brown planet with what looked like streaks of blood across it hung ominously below us. And the stars were blinding. I barely had time to take in the expansive nebulae before my eyes involuntarily snapped shut. Whatever Jake had warned me not to look at had nothing on that.

"Know any way to turn it off? Or at least dim it?" My acute hearing told me Jake was moving, but not far. Maybe turning his back?

((You're the one that has been…uh…working the ship so far.))

"Let's go bat," he suggested. "At least we won't be overwhelmed by the stars."

((Good idea.)) Although I hadn't used it in years, the bat morph was one of the easiest for me as it was so similar to my natural hawk body. Echolocation was a welcome relief from the unrelenting blaze outside.

((And…we still have no clue how to operate this thing.)) Jake flapped around awkwardly.

((Does it respond to thoughtspeak?))

((I'll try. Go to Z-space.))

No result.

((Well, where was Rruyshah when she was flying it?))

((Hate to sound like Marco, but "flying" is a bit of an overstatement. But I think she was over here…)) Jake fluttered towards a series of buttons. ((If one of us goes human and closes our eyes, then the other could tell us which way to fly?))

((Fly where?))

Before Jake could answer, the gravity of the nearby planet finished pulling us to it. I guess we'd been distracted earlier and hadn't noticed we were falling towards the strange surface. I adjusted my wings, trying to maintain stability. It was easier for me than for Jake, who slid to the back of the bridge before we (crash-) landed. ((Sorry about that.))

I demorphed. ((This isn't one of the planets Rruyshah thought the Blade ship could go to, is it?))

He did as well. "I don't think so. Didn't she say something about the sun exploding?"

((She might have.))

"Anyhow, should we try taking off again? I'm not sure if we'll be able to survive here."

((We got lucky on that last planet, and I think we're totaled.))

He rolled his eyes. "Great track record we've got. We should try and contact the others."

((Yeah, um…we don't know where the radio is, either.))

"All right…what morphs do we have that can survive on the most planets?"

((Well, Andalite for me, Hork-Bajir for both of us, uh…polar bear worked the last time around,))

"And Taxxon. And I have Leeran."

((I'd prefer not to go Taxxon again.)) At Jake's look I added, ((but preferences stopped mattering a long time ago.))

"I can go cockroach," he grinned. "They'll survive anything."

((Um, okay. If you want.))

He started to morph but then backed out. "You okay? You don't seem too optimistic about this."

((Do you? You just seem a little tense. Like you're trying too hard to be funny.))

"I don't know what I can do. You-" He clenched his teeth, not very angrily, but more like he was trying to keep them from chattering. "You think you know me. As a kid, an adult, I don't know. But I know you don't, because, look at me. I don't either."

((Jake, you're going to need to choose. Just because you've, um, whatever happened in Z-space, doesn't mean you're no longer the man that…))

"That isn't the kid." He was morphing cockroach again. ((That isn't the stupid idealist who thought he could win.))

I morphed human and strode over to the hatch. "Are you going to look around or just see if the morph can survive?"

((Just test: cockroach isn't the best for reconnaissance missions.))

I opened it up, and he crawled out onto the surface. It was an ugly color. We'd landed near one of what had appeared to be gigantic bloody streaks from space. Up-close, it looked like overlapping pieces of an alien substance.

Jake inched towards it. ((Looks okay. It's really dry and hot out here, but nothing fatal.))

"And obviously safe to breathe, as I haven't suffocated yet."

((Okay. So, do you want to come out?))

"Sure." I stepped down and closed the door.

He demorphed and stepped over. "Could we figure out how to lock this?"

"Think anyone's going to want to fly it away? Or be able to?"

We shared a quick laugh before I stopped to think about the last time I'd done so. Shaking my head, I demorphed, and immediately turned my head away from the ship. ((What is _that_?))

"You see something?"

((Hear it.)) It was an almost-familiar roar, one that was repulsive just to hear. The stereotypical two-year-old who bangs on pots and pans planning to be the next Beethoven couldn't make noise that bad if it tried. The notes went up and down as if something was trying to make a melody out of it, not understanding how torturous it was to be exposed to it.

"Well?"

((It's awful. Some…I'm not even going to describe it.))

Jake morphed falcon and flew above the ship. ((We might be able to see whatever's making it.)) I joined him, glad to be a few feet away from that. But my happiness was short-lived. ((Let's go closer, he continued. Assuming we can't leave the planet, we should check it out.))

I followed him reluctantly until I caught sight of the creature that was producing the sound. It was emanating from its mouth, which rivaled the shape, danger, and utter lack of musical quality of the Grand Canyon. I looked again at its mouth…

…_its mouth…_

In an effort to make the quickest possible turn, I wound up with my wings stretched completely vertically before speeding back to the ship. Jake, of course, caught up to me in his faster falcon morph. ((Tobias! What is it? What did you see?))

In a blur of memory, I lost sight of where I was going, overshot the ship, and took off into the air. There were no thermals for me to catch, so I just spiraled increasingly higher until all thought became impossible, and I surreally plummeted to the ground.


	9. Chapter 9

**Dedicated to Tobyas and TobiasHawk13: gone but not forgotten.**

Chapter 9

I was cold, but it wasn't registering enough to make me comment. A blink later I realized that I was _wet_, and that I'd naturally assumed I should be cold, even though temperature-wise I felt fine. ((Am I numb or something?))

I didn't know I'd thoughtspoken it until I got a reply. "Tobias! Are you okay?"

It was Marco. My brain seemed to be working at Anati-speed as I tried to figure out what was going on. ((You…were…on the other ship.))

"Yeah!" he said angrily. "Yeah. I was. Emphasis on "was". Until somebody's _tracking signal _kicked in…"

"It got you back to your friends, didn't it?" Rruyshah immediately retorted from outside the room. I looked around blearily enough to find out I was in a standard cabin.

"Why," Marco exited the room, feet making deliberate noise as they hit the floor, "why do you distrust us so much? Place a stupid tracking signal on both ships, my…"

"You know," Matt contributed, "the two of you should spend some time in a spaceship without Big Jake to keep the piece. Oh, wait, you already did that."

"That was in your company, sub-low-rank," Rruyshah snapped back.

They could have gone into another debate and been off of the original subject if Jake hadn't come in. "How's it going?"

((Uh...)) Guilt for my (quite literal) flight from the aliens had not crushed me in one blow, but had built up silently until now, face to face with Jake, I was only capable of stupidity. ((What happened to the _Jara Hamee_?))

"Totalled. We transferred the food over here…want a cinnamon bun?"

((No.))

"Translation," Matt stage-whispered, "sure, but leave me alone right now."

"Ha-ha." Marco sarcastically defended me. "After what he's been through, I don't think he'd mind _you_ leaving him alone."

((It's okay-))

"Tobias, I appreciate you trying to play Cassie but this is not the time-" Marco cut off when he saw Jake's expression.

"Marco," Jake tried to keep his voice calm, "could you go double-check Rruyshah's coordinates? You're better at working this computer than I am."

Marco took the hint and took off.

"You think I need you to tell me if I'm using the computer correctly?" Rruyshah raged and followed.

"What about me?" Matt looked to Jake for stimulation.

He winked. "You could get a cinnamon bun."

This was evidently not the answer he'd been looking for, but he trundled off anyhow.

I became aware of the fact that I was on a large bed. Not feeling like I needed such luxury, I perched on a headboard. ((Did Marco see it?))

Jake's face wrenched. "Yeah, Tobias, he did."

((And, obviously, he didn't…you know.))

"Don't be so hard on yourself. It's going to mean more to you than the rest of us."

((Well, I _know_ it was just a morph. Visser Three probably came to this planet a long time ago, acquired one of…those, and left, which means I shouldn't hold it against them, but…I'm able to see reason but not accept it, that's what's driving me so mad.))

"I'm not sure if it would help for me to tell you this-"

((Do it.))

"You only saw the one of them, right?"

((Yeah?))

"There was a second one. Smaller. Down on its side."

((What does that have to do with anything?))

"I'm just telling you what I saw."

I tilted my ears. ((You might want to go check outside.))

"You hear something?"

No. ((Was it a good idea to leave those three, uh, unaccompanied?))

Jake dashed off.

I let my mind retreat into memory, taking not the perspective of the numb child behind a wall, but as the Visser himself, who too was hiding, arrogant in a form not his own. He could have easily finished off the Prince with Alloran's tail. Was morphing the Antarean Bogg a way to show off? I remembered the middle-school counselors' (they'd always seemed particularly worried about me, wonder why) soundbite-bullies are insecure and need to see your weakness. And yet, he'd taken pride in his victory. Still rational enough for that emotion-an emotion most of us tried to avoid, and that almost eroded Cassie. Was Rachel the only sane one? Had idealism destroyed our few chances to celebrate?

The real question was what we had done to equate ourselves to him.

"Oh yeah?" Marco was yelling. "Well, we don't shower too often up here. So if your scales are covered with cinnamon bun, well, then…"

"We can't waste food," Matt stammered.

"Okay…Rruyshah? We're saving food here. Your rations are stuck to Matt, good luck."

"She can starve to death, I don't care. Get this off of me!" Another set of footsteps drew near to the argument. "Jake. Hey. So now, we don't even have the Skrit Na thing anymore, and we do have this-"

Jake left no room for dissent. "The Kelbrid stay." He poked his head into the room I was in. "Tobias, you should eat something."

((How long was I out?))

"It doesn't matter, you still need to eat."

I decided to humor him, flying out and above Marco and the Kelbrid. ((Any rodents?))

"Sure, over here…" Jake led me to a refrigerated supply, even taking one and setting it out on a plate. I ripped into it ferociously, but received no pleasure from that. Relapsing into a slow tear-and-gnaw pattern, I ate methodically with my mind hardly functioning.

((So we're on our way to another one of the planets the Blade ship might have stopped at?)) I finally said as I picked at a bone.

"He's got a point there," Marco addressed Jake. "We've lost a lot of time."

"But the only places we're considering are ones that have the technology to fix a spaceship, so the residents could tell us where they went," Rruyshah argued.

"If The One told them, which I doubt. And if they're feeling nice, and speak _Galard_, and you're able to translate…"

"Which she wouldn't be, if you had your way," Matt seized an opportunity for insult.

"Yes, Tobias," Jake stepped into the cabin. "We already jumped to Z-space."

((And how long will it be?))

"We're not sure. If we keep a watch on the ship computer, we might be able to track the relative distance and hop out early. Boring, tedious job."

((I'm in. But if that doesn't work?))

"You don't by any chance know how to convert out of nanoseconds, do you?"


	10. Chapter 10

**Dedicated to Amberhawk**

Chapter 10

((Rruyshah, come here.))

She stalked in. "Are you trying to separate me from the immature-"

I cut her off before she could begin her rant. ((Check this number out.)) I pointed my wingtip at a series of digits that were rapidly changing. ((Is it lower than the cutoff line you and Jake agreed on?))

"Is your species so incredibly hopeless that you cannot compare two numbers?"

((Red-tailed hawks? Yep. Humans…Rruyshah, you want to defeat whatever it is too, so help me here.))

"Well, Z-space is being reorganized at lightspeed if not faster, so whatever it is…you know, this is pointless, you staying here and watching that. Come out with us."

((And do what? No offense, but I'd rather not come between the three of you.)) I paused. ((Speaking of which, what has Jake been doing this whole time?))

"Mostly talking to Marco, keeping him away from Matrex and me."

((Can't say I blame him.))

"What?"

((Never mind. Let's just continue with the predicted course and jump out…when we planned.))

"I didn't need_ you_ to tell me that." And she tromped off, ready to inflict torture on her victim-of-the-day (and I got the feeling his name would start with an M).

This would be the place, in the painstakingly detailed chronicles we kept on Earth, that I tell the reader how long we'd been following the Blade ship. Perhaps luckily, there was no way of knowing. With no Earth to measure our days by, we set our own sleep schedules. I'd never clocked mine (there were clocks that Marco could decipher, although I was virtually hopeless after spending all the time I did staring at the display I'd been monitoring): I assumed I was fairly erratic. Marco would wake and sleep for long stretches: I once got in an entire cycle of mine with him still awake. Matt and Rruyshah fended for themselves: wherever they slept, I clearly wasn't invited in. Jake never seemed to sleep. I'd often hear him pacing the ship, or even having long conversations with one of the Kelbrid.

It had taken me several "days" to convince Jake that I wouldn't be comfortable in a regular room. I routinely fell asleep at the console to the hums of the ship's massive engines.

Matt shuffled in. "Want me to take over?" he muttered monotonically.

((Who volunteered you for this?))

He perked up at that. "I told you he'd know!" he yelled as he clambered back the way he had come. It had been amusing at first to watch the Kelbrid walk: they clearly could function on only two legs, and wouldn't trip as much, yet somehow they'd evolved eight.

I didn't really need to hear the result of that conversation, so I focused on the numbers for a minute before realizing that would be pointless. In fact, my whole position was pointless.

I didn't resent that, oh no. Quite the contrary: I felt guilty about being unable to contribute. Even the first time around, I'd been stupid enough to get trapped in morph. Would I have been able to make a difference, if I'd gotten the chance? Swung some critical pivot the other way?

Maybe…maybe The One could hear my thoughtspeak from this distance. If I could try and cut some sort of bargain with it…Jake would be furious of course, and turn his guilt upon himself. It would be the aftermath of the Yeerk war all over again, this time with me taking the easy way out. And they didn't deserve that…

"Tobias, how insane are you?"

((Very,)) I immediately replied before I realized that it wasn't me that had said it. Even more proof. ((Who is this?))

"Me." Rruyshah shoved me aside as she went to the control. "Even you should be able to see that this number-" she pointed with one limb, "is shrinking. Fewer digits. And why is _it_ in base ten? I thought the Yeerks at least were above that."

((We beat them, remember.))

Turbulence kicked in again, and I was shunted across the room. "Who let Rruyshah start the landing sequence?" Marco infuriatedly navigated the partial gravity to fight her for the controls, just like he'd battled with Matt for the Anati's puck.

((Me.))

Jake looked like a monkey climbing in at an odd angle. "Marco, Rruyshah, this is our only ship, so please make sure it lands in such a way that it can take off again."

I knew that might be asking a bit much, but didn't comment. Luckily (?), Rruyshah was able to fend off Marco enough to land the ship without interference.

"Rruyshah, you're the tourism…geek, for lack of a better word-"

"What is a geek?" she asked innocently.

"In this case, the one who knows the most about tourism. So what can you tell us about the people who live here?"

"Which planet is this?"

"You set the coordinates!" Marco yelled.

"That was earlier."

"Tell us what _both_ planets are like, then we can figure out which one we're on." Matt suggested as he entered.

Marco drew back sulkily, probably because Matt had actually hit on a good idea. "I think one's a satellite. Both had Yeerk exploration," Rruyshah informed us.

"You memorize all this?" Marco shook his head, overwhelmed but pleased.

"Our brain capacities exceed yours greatly."

"Actually, they don't," Matt said conspiratorially.

((Maybe they have some sort of information implant, like the Andalite translator chip. )) I wisely kept that to Jake and Marco: knowing Rruyshah, she'd have taken it personally.

Jake nodded. Before Rruyshah could harp on him for what was apparently agreement with Matt, he spoke. "Do you know what any of the species that live here are like? We may have similar morphs."

She tried to retain her arrogance while saying, "No".

"Cockroach time," Marco grinned.

"Okay dude, your turn," Jake punched him playfully.

"What?"

"I had to go cockroach with Tobias on that other planet. You're up."

"But-hey, I was stuck here with these two. That's no picnic."

"I never said it was. Morphin' time."

Marco sighed dramatically and walked over to the door, with us following. ((We should stand back-we've gotten lucky with atmospheres on the two planets before this one, but no promise this time.))

"Who's going to open it for me?"

"I will," Jake immediately volunteered.

"Okay, fine. Any other objections?...No? Dang. Ah well…" He began the grotesque morph.

Jake opened the door, and immediately we were subjected to darkness.

We were all mesmerized for a second or so at the total emptiness. Someone might say it was like we were standing at the edge of the world, but that's wrong. At the edge of the world, you can stare out into space, and I'd seen how colorful space could be. This was pure black, the black only imaginable by scribbling kindergarteners gripping crayons. The austere beauty probably could have attracted me longer than any of the others, but Matt had a less aesthetic mindset. "Shut the-" (here he used a word I wouldn't expect a Kelbrid to know) "thing!"

Eyes wider than usual, Jake did.

"And on to plan B we go."


	11. Chapter 11

**No dedication this chapter. I've decided I don't have to do all of them. **

Chapter 11

"I mean," Marco griped, "they have a Blade ship, we have a Blade ship."

"Marco, if we're going to have the same arguments again, can we at least do them somewhere else? It's cramped in here. Actually, I should be asking Jake. Jake-"

He cut Matt off. "I don't need your input. If you don't have anything intelligent to say, I don't have to hear it."

Marco raised his eyebrows.

((I'm not sure what's with him. I think a part of him wants that same atmosphere we had like in Cassie's barn, but he's obviously not going to tolerate annoyances from Matt.))

"Yeah."

"Yeah what?" Jake snapped his head around by instinct, like an animal.

"Yeah, um…yeah, Matt, shut up."

"All right. Eh…so Marco, do you think it's possible that they could survive without oxygen? Some of them, I mean?"

"Hey," Marco tilted his head a little and got that look on his face like he was about to figure something out, "what's to say the Kelbrid can't?"

Jake's eyes flashed briefly with hope, but that quickly passed. "The Kelbrid."

"Hey, we're "who"s, not "what"s," Matt sidetracked us snidely.

((Matt told us to close the door, so I'm guessing they need to breathe something.))

"Rruyshah, what are the atmospheres of these planets?" Jake asked.

"I don't know." She sounded both defensive and touchy: I hoped she hadn't learned "whaddaya think I am, a walking encyclopedia?".

"Which implies that there _is_ one," Marco smirked. "And due to either some help from the Ellimist or incredible luck, the Kelbrid have been able to breathe just about everything." He paused. "So have we."

"And that is quite a good thing," Matt obliquely threatened, "because if you didn't, the way we've been treated, we might not be very keen on helping you."

There was an uneasy pause, then all of us, Rruyshah included, repeated, "((Keen?)) ".

After the humans (really, they were in the minority) stopped laughing, Jake cast a critical eye on Matt. "Why are you here?"

"'Cause she made me come."

I heard a noise from Rruyshah, like she wanted to respond, but Jake kept going. "Why is she here?"

"Because she wants to rescue her boyfriend."

He deadpanned it to such a degree it almost sounded like he was serious.

Jake looked over at Rruyshah, trying to keep from laughing. "I suppose I should ask you. Why did you come here?"

She didn't respond.

"Rruyshah, this is important. We all have to be in this equally."

"I won't tell you anything with Matrex around: he'll use it against me."

Jake exhaled. "Marco…eh, Tobias…sorry about this, but could you occupy Matt…somewhere else?"

((Could I? Yes.)) After seeing his miserable look I quickly added, ((Of course I will.))

"And if I don't go with you?" challenged Matt.

"Then we wait here," Jake ruled.

He waited a second, as if to see if he'd renege, but finally gave up. "Okay. Come on, Bird-Boy."

I flinched at my old nickname, but flew ahead of him to the room he'd been using. A second later, Marco joined us as well. "I don't know how Jake can think he's in charge on this ship. She's the ultimate slavedriver." He paused. "Besides, like, a Yeerk."

((Or The One.))

"So what is it, anyway?" Matt asked.

"We don't know," Marco told him. "We're guessing it's some sort of mind-meld."

"So there isn't like one person in charge of all the others, like the Yeerks?"

"Again, we don't know."

He paused. "Why are _you_ here?"

"'Cause Jake made me come," he winked. "No, we're rescuing our friend Ax."

"Oh yeah."

We waited for them to finish, Marco tapping his foot to exaggerate the delay loudly and repetitively enough that I finally took the bait. ((You'd rather be out in the darkness?))

He surprised me: "Sure."

"Sorry, Tobias, but you can't protect him from me. Isn't that right?" Matt had everything going but an evil cackle.

"You started scaring me. Then you annoyed me. Now you're just disturbing me." Marco shook his head and turned to exit.

((You want to interrupt Rruyshah?)) I privately chastised him.

He paused, then stepped to the door. "Which of them do you think is the rock?"

I analyzed him, trying to see if there was something I was missing. ((The rock?))

"As in "between a rock and a hard place"."

I hovered between Marco and Matt before Jake called us back. "Okay, we're set to go?"

"Should we morph them?" Marco asked.

Jake froze, having not considered this angle. Then, with a careful mix of strength and flattery, he addressed the Kelbrid. "Would you be willing to let us acquire your DNA? We know that you have adapted to many environments, and that might help us on different planets."

Rruyshah took her time. "How does that process work?"

"They'd have to touch us, and then our DNA would soak into them." For once, Matt proved more knowledgeable than Rruyshah. "Do you have a morphing cube here?"

"It doesn't matter," Marco said sharply before Jake could assent. "Once we've received the power, we can acquire DNA indefinitely."

"That's not what I asked you."

"No."

Even if Jake hadn't said "Yes" simultaneously, I doubt he would have gotten away with it.

"Okay then." Matt presented his offer. "You give us the morphing power, we let you acquire our DNA."

_No!_ Marco mouthed to Jake. He didn't seem to notice. "Rruyshah, what do you think?"

"I don't care. You can acquire me."

"No way, Rruyshah, listen to me!" Matt raged. "Don't you want to be able to morph?"

"Changing shape? Generally that does not go well."

Jake walked up to Rruyshah and touched what we assumed was the top of her head: the purplish-pinkish-tannish area between the blue wave that encircled her head and the purer purple opening at the very top. She seemed to recoil a little, but quickly went into the acquiring trance.

"You go ahead, Tobias," Marco waved me ahead. "I kinda like seeing her quiet."

I landed and stretched out my wing to one of her feet. It was always a little uneasy acquiring another sentient creature. As her DNA entered my bloodstream, I wondered vaguely if her aggression would carry over. Finally, Marco went. When we'd broken the connection, she stumbled blearily towards the exit. "That was not fun."

"Wait for us," Jake held up a "stop" hand as he began to morph. I watched for a second, to see how he would react. Seeing as he didn't start killing me, I concentrated and followed suit. It was difficult. I paused a few times: having Rruyshah and Matt apparently watching me threw me off.

My eyes changed first. They blurred together, then stretched into the blue wave. Before I could comment on this, my mouth had imploded. My wings were absorbed into a body that grew rapidly as six legs sprouted off to join the two I had. As those final two lengthened, I wavered off-balance with only six Kelbrid feet on the floor. Metallic nodules popped out of my knees. As I looked around (not physically turning my head: I could see in all directions at once), I noticed all five of us glimmering. Finally, I felt the top of my head tear open.

"Is this my mouth?" My own voice sounded loud to me. Whatever was picking up sound was more sensitive to it then even hawk ears.

((No, you're just speaking with it.)) Marco finished up his morph.

"Okay, are we ready?" someone asked.

((Who was that? )) I used thoughtspeak to distinguish myself.

((Jake. My bad. Um, Animorphs-Rruyshah and Matt, that's what Tobias, Marco and I called ourselves- )) I noted the past tense. ((use thoughtspeak. We can all tell Rruyshah's voice from Matt's.))

Opening the door was an adventure all its own, albeit one that made us sympathize with the Kelbrid a little more. But we managed it, and a minute or so of not suffocating was enough for us to set out into the blackness.


	12. Chapter 12

**Dedicated to EzekielRaiden****, now that I've experienced the difficulty in expressing scientific insight in Animorphs fanfiction.  
**

Chapter 12

((Are we all so dumb that we don't turn on the lights in the ship?))

It was nice to have acute hearing. We stomped hard and followed each other's noise. Sight was a farce on this planet. There were no stars to see, and definitely no sun. "Yes we are," Matt replied to Marco.

((We're going to be stuck in this morph and have no way back.))

"Oh yeah? What's so bad about being stuck in this morph? A mouth, other people to talk to? There are things a lot worse." Matt projected more emotion then I'd ever heard him do.

"Stuck?" Rruyshah dumbly echoed.

((We can only be in morph for two hours,)) Jake clarified.

"Ah."

((We probably should remorph: I'm guessing we can survive here,)) I hypothesized.

((Okay: Rruyshah and Matt, pause for a little if you don't mind?)) Jake requested.

Matt stepped into his normal role as devil's advocate. "And if we do?"

((We'll morph birds and catch up with you.))

He relented, muttering, "Birds! Rruyshah, don't you want to fly?"

((I think she prefers flying spaceships,)) Marco retorted as he demorphed.

The planet was cold. Not like the Anati planet, but a deep, unsettling cold that seemed to chill each of my atoms separately.

"Definitely r-remorph."

We did so, and waddled ahead towards a teasing Matt, only a few yards away. ((How do you handle these temperatures?)) Jake marveled.

"A pathetic sub…" Improbably, Rruyshah decided to show a little respect and didn't complete that sentence. "You have a Kelbrid body, does that not inform you?"

((Just a Kelbrid body, not a Kelbrid mind.))

((Thank goodness,)) Marco added to Jake and me.

"We could go on forever," complained Matt. "How do we know when we'll find evidence they were here?"

Jake was confident. ((Whoever lives here will remember.))

((We don't know for sure anyone lives here,)) Marco reminded us. ((Somebody, like the Kelbrid, could have come and left.))

"Or been destroyed when the sun went nova," Rruyshah said offhandedly.

((Supernova? Who could survive after that?))

"I'm not sure. I'm beginning to think the atmosphere on this planet is exceptionally thick and keeps heat trapped much more than our planets do."

((Would that explain why we can't see any stars or moons?)) I ventured.

"Oh, it wouldn't be that simple."

"What she means is it's nothing your pathetic human brains can figure out." Matt demonstrated his familiarity with Rruyshah's mannerisms.

((How much science could she actually know?)) I asked Jake and Marco. ((Think about how much she knows about all the planets and stuff: I doubt she's an astronomer, too.))

((She could have a chip.)) Marco had evidently liked my theory. ((I wouldn't push her.))

((And we won't,)) Jake ruled firmly.

"I hear something!" Matt excitedly jolted us back into sound. "It's coming from over that way."

Rruyshah, obviously, could not see which of his limbs he was shaking to point. "_What_ way, sub-low-rank?"

((In front of us and to our left, I hear it too,)) concurred Marco. ((It's like a bunch of beeps?))

"Yeah, yeah, that's it." Matt started with energy, but then trailed off. "Guys, there's no way we can trust them."

((Or it, or whatever it is? We don't really have a choice.)) Jake's decision had already been made.

"Sure we do. We can turn around and go back."

Jake's reply was a surprise. ((Okay.))

"Okay? Okay what?"

((Okay, you can turn around and go back.))

((Or just plain go back, since you've got eyes in the back of your head,)) joked Marco.

"W-wait, what are you doing? You're thoughtspeaking privately to each other-what's your game?"

((No game. I guess I'm just being selfish,)) Jake confessed nonchalantly.

"What, selfish? If you were being selfish, you'd want me to stay here. You wouldn't care about where I wanted to be."

((Uh-uh. See, I just don't want to-don't want to force you into, to anything.)) Jake's composure began to fade: I couldn't tell if it was a charade or façade.

"What does that have to do with being selfish?"

((I don't need to feel guilty about any more things.))

"Okay: Tobias, Marco, somebody explain what's going on."

((We are hearing strange beeping noises-)) All of us could hear them by then. ((and you're trying to decide whether to desert or not,)) Marco zinged back.

"You know what I mean-what's with Jake?"

"Two Kelbrid and two temporary Kelbrid." Either Rruyshah had not learned what "what's with" was, or she was brilliantly sharp-witted. "And something that produces noise."

"I quit. I really do."

((In that case, I ask that you do not help The One, give away information about our mission, or take our spaceship,)) Jake calmly instructed.

"How am I supposed to leave, then?"

((I don't know.))

I heard Matt start stomping off the other way.

((Okay, let's see if we can find what's beeping.))

((Jake, he's going to take the ship,)) Marco cynically prognosticated.

((No he isn't.))

((Then he's going to destroy it.))

((Don't think so.))

((How can you be so sure?))

((He isn't loyal. To anyone.))

((He could have left before.))

((He hasn't been scared of anyone. Not the Anati, not us. But he's scared of whatever's beeping.))

((Just because he can't see it?))

((There are stupider reasons.))

Rruyshah was done with rhetoric. "So what do we do?"

((Humiliate him. Tell him it was something meaningless.))

((Rruyshah, you can probably do that best. Would you mind?))

"Yes…wait, we're trying to lure him back?"

((We're trying to save our ship.))

"I don't deserve this."

((Neither do we.))

With that sort of logic, she was flummoxed. After a second, she took off. "You pathetic sub-low-rank…"

Mercifully, we were spared Matt's half of the conversation. (Actually, it was less than half, since Rruyshah dominated it.) Her obscene tirades, however, were impossible to miss. They must have worked, however: he came back.

In unspoken agreement, we approached the beeps. We'd heard them from a long way off with Kelbrid hearing, so it was a few minutes before we got to their source.

Jake had listened carefully but not discerned anything. ((Are they in some sort of pattern?))

((They seem pretty irregular. Rruyshah, do you understand this?)) Marco risked an insult to _homo sapiens_.

"No. I understand _Galard_ and Kelbrid language: not random beeps!"

((So they're random.))

"And English," Matt reminded her.

((Don't you know the languages of any of the species you advertise to?))

"No…we concentrate more on understanding their mindsets. Or at least, researching them," she replied.

And then I saw a red beam. Not cynical enough to write it off as a hallucination, I immediately spoke up. ((I saw a flash of something!))

((Like that?)) Marco pointed out another one. That one made contact with one of my nodules, piercing it and sending pain throughout my Kelbrid body. Another rocketed in from a different direction.

((They're shooting! I've gotta demorph.))

It was worse than goaltending. Ignoring the others, they fired at me as I went from hawk back to Kelbrid. And they didn't miss. If I hadn't been able to morph, I probably would have died right there. Instead, Jake took initiative. ((What are you?))

Another shot, another smoking wing. I was cycling through morphs so fast I didn't know what I was doing half the time.

((Marco, battle morphs. Tobias, you too, if you can.))

((We can't fight what we can't see!)) Marco protested.

"One just got me!" Matt swore. The lasers were being fired at all of us now, the nonsensical beeps continuing. "Any better ideas, Marco?"

((We politely say "Hey, please stop shooting at us,"?))

A shot that had been taken as Marco thoughtspoke hit Rruyshah, but that was the last one. The beeps continued, but the lights had halted immediately.

((Why didn't that work with the Yeerks?))


	13. Chapter 13

**Dedicated to Aizxana**

Chapter 13

The beeps continued quietly as we discussed this turn of events. ((I'm pretty sure they respond to thoughtspeak,)) guessed Jake.

((Okay, so ask if a Blade ship was here.))

((You can.))

I didn't want to lose time arguing. ((Has a Blade ship been here?))

Beepity-beep-beep.

((Do you speak English?)) tried Jake.

((Of course they don't speak English!)) Marco shot back.

((We didn't think the Kelbrid would, either.))

Loud beeps.

((I could try to morph them.))

((You'd have to _find_ them first.))

((Maybe we can provoke them, so they show their lights again?)) Immediately, the red shots we'd seen were fired up into the air in a continuous stream.

((That was too easy. Not that I mind easy.))

Jake walked toward the nearest of them and put a Kelbrid limb on it as he demorphed, presumably wanting to spend as little time as human as possible. "Okay, here I go..."

There was a disturbing silence until worry finally drove me to speak. ((Jake? Are you okay?))

((What? Yeah, I'm fine. I'm a Kelbrid again, though. I can't morph them.))

"You are a Kelbrid, yet you cannot morph Kelbrid?" Sometimes I felt a little sorry for Rruyshah.

((No, I can't morph the things that are here.))

"Why not?"

"Stuck in Kelbrid morph?" Matt sounded almost excited at the prospect.

Marco was concerned. ((What's with you? You'd think you wanted him to be stuck.))

The incessant beeps continued. ((Rruyshah, can you at least guess at what kind of thing would communicate like this?))

"Our computer," she retorted.

((That's actually not so far-out,)) he accepted. ((They could be robots.))

Marco saw the natural corollary. ((But robots have designers.))

((They seem to respond well to commands: let me try this. Keep your lights on, and move towards the creatures who created you.))

They filed off in procession, an illuminated line. We could vaguely see that they were in fact metallic, and moved on four wheels each. They trudged on stolidly, until they disappeared. ((Turn your lights back on!)) Marco angrily told them.

Faint beeps.

"The lights_ are_ on. See?" We couldn't, of course, see Matt point. But after a few seconds of adjusting, we saw that the red beams, instead of pointing straight up to guide our way, were now perfectly horizontal and descending.

((They live underground,)) I realized.

((Far underground,)) Marco echoed.

Jake crept up closer to the brink. ((And it's a long way down.))

((Bird morphs?))

"Oh no you don't. We're going with you, and that means you give us the morphing power." Matt was not willing to debate.

((It could be a trap. If something happens to us, we'd need you to continue on.))

"I'm flattered. Not."

((I'm sure you'd like to leave them alone with the spaceship, Marco.)) Jake kept his comment private.

((As opposed to giving them the morphing power! Yes!))

((What could they acquire that would be a threat?)) I posed the question.

When he didn't respond, Jake took the lead. ((Only one of us needs to go back and get it. Marco, need a vacation from the Kelbrid?))

Reluctantly, he was swayed. ((Fine. But I'll have to demorph on the way, and so will you. No matter how much it pleases Matt, we're not going to get stuck in these morphs.))

((Definitely.))

He took off. ((Okay, )) Jake said. ((Matt, you seem to know plenty about morphing: Rruyshah, are you familiar with it?))

"Only that the Andalites developed it."

((Okay, well, that's a start. When Marco comes back, he's going to bring a blue cube. Once you touch it, you'll have the power to become any animal you touch by concentrating on it-hold on.)) He gave his attention to the retreating robots. ((Hold on, wait for us.))

"So we'll be acquiring bird-boy here?" Matt correctly assumed.

((His name is Tobias.))

((Jake, don't bother.))

((Quit playing martyr!))

Unsure how to take that, I backed away from him. ((Anyhow, Rruyshah, we can only stay in a morph for two hours, otherwise we become the animal permanently. So right now, I'm going to morph back to hawk, and then back to Kelbrid, so I get two more hours.))

As I did so, trying to ignore the cold, Rruyshah pieced it together. "You were a human! And you became stuck in that morph!"

((Yep.))

"But…how come you can still morph?"

((A little help from the Ellimist-have you ever heard of him?))

"Of course!"

((Oh, okay.)) No use offending her.

"You are a strange individual. The fact that you are not human is perhaps a good thing."

((Why is that?))

"Humans are a strange species."

((Yeah, well, so are Kelbrid.))

"We are much more advanced then you!"

((Right, of course.))

She paused. "Am I so scaring that you must resort to…flattery, the word is, I think? To keep me calm?"

((Well…yeah, you can be.))

"I apologize."

Marco was never going to believe me when I told him this.

"I suppose that is unique to humans, although I've interacted with very few species."

((Maybe. I don't know. I think the Yeerks might do it, too.))

I'm not sure she was listening to me. She was just rambling, off in her own world. "All that we learned, that we were drilled on, and it means nothing next to actually talking with an alien. Is that why we had the tourism wing: so we could have real teachers?"

I let her talk to herself while I timidly approached Jake. ((You want to remorph?))

((Oh-no, I'm fine, I did that when I was trying to morph the robots.)) He paused. I felt he wanted to say something to me but was a little afraid to, so I just quietly waited. ((I'm sorry for getting mad at you. Look who's talking, huh?))

((It's okay,)) I replied.

We waited quietly: Matt paced, Rruyshah pondered, and Jake and I just respected the silence. Finally, we heard Marco approach. He was holding the box that was standard protocol to bring along on all human or Andalite missions, even though most of the crew were generally equipped with the morphing power. ((Here we go.))

Matt eagerly reached out.

((Hold on, wait for Rruyshah, you should do it at the same time. Jake, do you want to do the honors?))

((You can.))

((Okay then. Come on, Rruyshah.))

She slowly edged towards him, probably nervous like we were when we'd gotten the morphing power.

((Count of three? One, two, three…))

"Aah!" she screamed.

((It only happens that once,)) Jake counseled her. ((Kelbrid might be more sensitive to the tingle.))

"I didn't feel anything," Matt said sulkily.

((Really? Try again.))

He did. "No tingle."

((Hmm. Well, you should still be able to morph.))

"Okay. Go ahead and demorph, Tobias."

Passively, I did. The chill still tried to penetrate me, and I felt grateful for the Kelbrid form. It was only fair they get a chance…

I felt Matt roughly grab my wing. I waited to sink into the acquiring trance, but felt as alert as ever.

"I don't think it worked."

Jake wouldn't be discouraged. ((Rruyshah, go ahead and try. Touch Tobias like Matt did and concentrate on him.))

((That's kinda disturbing when you think about it.))

((Shut up, Marco.))

This time I felt detached from the world (even more so than usual). Like I could have been floating in Z-space and it didn't make any difference. When Rruyshah broke contact, I felt hyperaware but quickly morphed back to Kelbrid.

((What was that for?)) Apparently the dim red light was enough for Jake see what was going on.

((To get out of the cold.))

((We're going bird in a few seconds, anyway.))

((Oh. Yeah. Sorry.))

((Don't worry about it.))

((I don't think Matt got my DNA.))

((Hey, somebody has to take the cube back to the ship,)) Marco reasoned.

"Don't even think about it."

((We don't want to put you in danger-)) Jake began.

"Ha. Good one."

((Anyhow. Rruyshah, concentrate on Tobias again and you should feel yourself turn into him.))

We waited, expectantly, and then heard a scream of surprise.

But it wasn't from Rruyshah.

"I'm morphing! I'm morphing Tobias!"

Marco scrutinized Matt. "So he is."

((And so am I!)) Rruyshah exclaimed. What an amazing feeling it must have been: not to worry about fighting Yeerks, but the sheer glory of her first morph.

"Keep going," Jake urged as he passed through human. "Don't stop halfway." Pretty soon all five of us were hovering above the crack in the earth. ((You can go ahead now, we're following you,)) he informed the robots.

It _was_ a long fall, and no thermals. We had to brake ourselves, and were just reaching the bottom when Marco realized, ((We left the morphing cube on top.))

((Shouldn't be too hard, should it? Just kick it down here.)) Matt was circling around, in rapture at his new gift.

((Ah. I'll try.)) He shot up and nudged the box over the edge.

The next moment, Rruyshah was stunned by a blow to the head. We sped to the bottom to make sure she didn't crash. ((Demorph, you moronic sub-low-rank!)) Matt exploited his chance to turn the tables as he did so himself.

She screeched a little but didn't respond.

((Man, she must be out bad…))

Jake had also demorphed. "Hey, it's warmer down here. Rruyshah?" he said a little worriedly. "Can you demorph? Concentrate on your own Kelbrid body."

Agonizingly, she began to do so, and Matt did at the same rate. When she finally was able to stagger up, she took out her frustration on Marco. "Why did you do that?"

((It was accidental!)) He reached the bottom last and demorphed. ((I swear.))

Jake jogged a little to catch up with the robots. "Hold up."

They continued trucking along, beeping all the way.

"Tobias, could you tell them to stop?"

((Sure, um…stop?))

They did.

As the others caught up, I glided above them. ((So how come the Kelbrid morph in the same way, and only Rruyshah can be in charge?))

"Probably because I'm her clone," Matt said casually.

"You're her what?" Jake stopped in his tracks.

"Clone."

"But you're male." Marco, of course.

"I don't need reminding."

"How-"

"It's a long story."

We probably would have urged him to tell it in detail. Fortunately for him, the robots made a sharp turn to a cavern that was surprisingly warm, and humid. It was only a few steps until we got our first glimpses of the creatures that lived within it.


	14. Chapter 14

**Dedicated to voodooqueen126, Flames and Chaos, and estrid2006.**

Chapter 14

"Memo to Taxxons: you have a rival for "most disturbing mouth in the galaxy"."

It was hard to disagree with Marco's analysis. Luckily for us, the mouths were partly hidden underneath what looked like a unicorn's horn sticking out of the creatures' bodies. Red juts I hoped were teeth covered the entire undersides.

And the rest of them wasn't all that attractive, either. Yellow wings like pterodactyls, beat slowly but strongly, kept them floating near the roof of the cave like oversized bats. They were probably four feet across.

The robots immediately beeped at them. They responded in what we were now assuming was _Galard_. A long conversation ensued: Jake put his finger to his mouth, letting them do whatever they were doing. Finally, they stopped. And one of the robots fired at me again. ((Stop!))

They did.

One of the bat-things flapped to our level and spoke.

"Rruyshah, could you translate?" Jake asked.

"It wanted to know whether we…were…Yeerks."

"Tell them "no"."

"Make Matt translate for once," Marco seemed slighted for Rruyshah.

"I'm not from the tourism wing," he objected.

Rruyshah got their reply. "They want to try and speak in your language."

"That's fine," Jake smiled. "Hello," he addressed them.

One of them opened its grotesque mouth and replied. "Blah blah blah."

"Do you know English?"

"No! No!"

Marco looked up quizzically. "What do you call this language?"

"We call that softball."

Jake and Marco tried to stifle their laughs, and Matt made odd noises.

"Maybe it would be better if we communicated in _Galard_."

"Maybe."

"Ask them why they tried to attack Tobias."

Rruyshah did. They hesitated and came up with lots of responses before agreeing on one, which she relayed back. "They were told to kill something with his DNA, and their robots detected similar DNA patterns."

"Ask if they programmed the robots."

Same process. At least we didn't have to use a computer like with the Anati. "They designed the robots based on the creatures they evolved from."

"All right, and, if the Blade ship's been here? If they don't know, have them ask the robots."

They did wind up having to do that, thus returning the extra step to the grueling translation cycle. Finally, "No, it hasn't."

"All right." Jake smiled wearily. "So, last shot on our next planet. Um, goodbye, or, whatever the polite thing is to say?"

"The polite thing?" Kelbrid attitude was perhaps more alien than we thought.

"Just, goodbye."

They concluded their formalities. As we were heading out, I hung back for a moment. ((Why are your robots so easy to manipulate?)) Then I remembered, ((Rruyshah! Come back here a minute.))

She got back just in time to hear their answer. "We…we were like that earlier. We preserved that instinct in our robots as we evolved to be more independent."

((Oh. Okay.)) I flew out uneasily: I guess I had hoped for more "closure". But then, I heard them call back to me.

"Don't be offended, okay?"

I paused, but gave the only reply I could. ((I'll try.))

Maybe their English was erratic. And maybe their evolution was haywire. But their intentions were true. And I couldn't ask for more.

I joined the others on the path up. ((Does anybody know how it's so warm down here?))

"We should have asked," Marco shrugged.

Actually, I'd found a better question to ask.

I'd fallen behind the others, but didn't have to morph to get to the top of the ridge, so I wound up there at around the same time as Jake, Marco, and Matt. Rruyshah, who I'd needed to translate for me, fell behind but we waited for her. Finally, we set off as Kelbrid towards the ship.

((Jake,)) Marco expressed a quite possible reality, ((what if they're not there?))

((I'm not expecting them to be there: I'm expecting them to have come and left.))

((Fine. Fine. But how will you prove this? How can you trace them?))

((We'll ask whoever was there.))

((We've had this argument before.))

"Actually, he had it with Matrex last time," Rruyshah said, not knowing the meaning of "irrelevance". "I find it strange that for two that fight so much, they are similar."

((Who-me and Matt?)) Marco would have preferred to be considered similar to almost anyone under the sun.

Or suns.

Or galaxies.

The universe is a big place.

"Yes."

"Well," Matt resumed the conversation, "he's-you're right. Our odds of finding them are as slim as-hey, who am I to complain?"

The hike back to the ship seemed longer than the hike there.

After demorphing, I flew aboard and tried to relax in some secluded area, but that didn't happen. Instead, I was "treated" to another one of Marco and Rruyshah's arguments over how to fly the _Visser_. Somehow, each got less intelligent than the one before.

So instead, I flew over to Jake, who was sprawled on a bed in his oversize spacesuit. "Hey," he said without looking up.

((It's me.))

"I know."

((What's with the spacesuit?))

"If we find them, I want to be ready. To fight. Wherever."

((If?))

He sat up a little. "I'm scared."

((So am I.))

"I've never let myself think about…what happens, if there's no path."

((I don't think about what happens if there is.))

"Jake?" Rruyshah hollered.

He was clearly not interested in getting up. "What?"

"Should we go through Z-space or not?"

"Um, why should or shouldn't we?"

"We should because of the effects that happened to you and Marco earlier."

"But we've been through it since then ok," Marco countered.

"Marco, why do you want to go to Z-space?" Jake was making a huge effort not to roll over and press his face into his pillow like a kid on the first day of school.

"'Cause it's faster."

"Same solar system," Rruyshah alliteratively argued. "It won't be worth it."

"This ship is advanced."

"Not advanced enough."

"Stick to real space," Jake flopped back on the bed.

A few minutes later, Marco pounded in. "You went with her over me?"

"It's not her versus you, it's Z-space versus not. I prefer not. Who says I have to be in charge?"

"M-" he began, but then decided that would hurt his cause more than help it, and exited with the same tactfulness he had entered with.

The travel routine continued, but this time there was a definite "edginess" among us. We knew the end was getting close, just not what would end. All of us were toned down a bit: Marco and the Kelbrid more sober, Jake and I more relaxed. Or so we appeared.

I didn't ask what prompted Jake's decision to go with Rruyshah on the Z-space issue, but several days into the final leg of the flight, she was vindicated.

Because we never made it to our destination.

Instead, Marco spotted the enemy ship.

"A little more even this time." He paused. "Not that I'm being hopeful or anything."


	15. Chapter 15

**Dedicated to all my readers: yes, this means you!**

Chapter 15

We grouped around the control panel. "We have a little bit of an advantage," Jake tried to pep us up, "in that they don't know who we are, who this ship is. So Rruyshah, do you think you could try and peacefully communicate with them?"

Marco was not convinced of this strategy. "Peacefully? What's she going to say, "Please let Ax go."?"

"She could say the Kelbrid wanted to deal with him personally for trespassing."

"Actually, that could work. But we need to get out of the way of the camera."

Matt proposed an alternative. "Or you could morph Kelbrid."

"Yeah, let's do that," Jake began the changes. I joined him: it got progressively easier. This was now our third time through. Marco waited until fully morphed to assist Rruyshah with the computer. Finally, an image flickered into view, one we'd never seen before. Another victim of The One. It greeted us in _Galard_.

Rruyshah professionally stated her demand. We waited anxiously, unsure how it was going.

It curtly instructed her to wait, and then the pixels began to flash. An altogether different alien was presented to us, but the same voice said something else.

Rruyshah and Matt both stepped back from the computer a little bit, Rruyshah somewhat farther. She replied to it vigorlessly.

((Do they know we're here?)) Jake asked.

"No, not you. Just me and Matrex."

((I want to slap myself on the head now. Unfortunately, I don't have hands.)) Marco had caught onto the fact that the alien could hear Rruyshah addressing Jake, and was now replying in _Galard_. She spoke back frantically, and I guessed he could hear the lie in her voice.

((Okay, Marco-)) Was Jake trying to make up for not going through Z-Space? ((fire at the engines.))

He tried to reach with his Kelbrid limbs, but wasn't flexible enough. ((I'd have to demorph.))

((Go ahead.)) Jake stepped up to the camera and very visibly did so as well.

I went along with the crowd. ((Is there time to find a shredder?))

"Nah." Our laser streaked towards the engine, incinerating it. "Nice aim!"

"Thanks," Marco stepped back. "Well, we've certainly made ourselves known."

Instead of returning fire, the other ship retreated.

"That better have been a good shot," Matt threatened, "because I sure don't want to chase them around the universe again."

"By the way, Jake," Marco seemed distant, and was staring into space. "When we-Jeanne and I-were poking around the ship, they, uh, they didn't get me or anything."

Jake forced a laugh. "I never thought so."

"Oh. Uh, okay. I just figured I should tell you know."

"It's fine. Try firing again-_where_ are they?" They were receding rapidly: this time it had been their Z-space engines we'd disabled, not real space. Unfortunately, they were close to the planet they'd fixed their ship on.

But we weren't worrying about that at the time. As we sped towards the other Blade ship, it started to swerve oddly. Marco took a second shot, but this one missed entirely. "Rruyshah, take us out of this course!"

She struggled with the controls. "I can't!"

"They must've got our engines," Matt stood around and made no effort to be helpful.

Marco shoved Rruyshah out of the way as he grappled to steer. Agonizingly, we inched away from the path the ship had stubbornly insisted on taking.

"Why would they want to force us away from them?" Rruyshah mused. "I thought they wanted to absorb our minds."

((I don't think it's a they, I think it's more of an it.))

Matt leaned against a wall. "That made total sense."

"Whatever it is, it's getting away." Jake paced over to Marco and Rruyshah, although he couldn't decipher the technology.

"We could try the radio again." Marco's finger rose to the button he'd need to press, but didn't make contact.

"Sure, go ahead, whatever you want."

"Whatever _I_ want? I could use some leadership here."

"Come up with it yourself." Jake didn't sound bitter, just "enabling".

"Press it." Rruyshah didn't even let him, going ahead and doing it herself.

Marco stepped back. That was evidently not where he had wanted leadership to come from.

We heard what seemed to be a distorted, childish voice over the radio. "Hello? Does this work?" And in the background, "Yes, it does."

Marco narrowed his eyebrows. "It could be a ploy, but I don't think that's The One."

"Okay," Jake nodded. "So there's another ship around here."

Then we heard a voice that it took me a while to recognize as Santorelli's. "Continue acceleration away from this system. We will dock with you once it is safe."

"You know we won't," Jake said defiantly.

"I know you, Jake, although not as well as I could. I know you value the lives of your friends. There is danger for both of us here. I can provide safety."

"What are you?"

"You want to know what I am?" The question was not meant to be answered. Santorelli backed away from the screen.

In the meantime, Matt was swearing. "We're drifting _again_!"

Rruyshah clacked her limbs in every direction. She had moved to another corner of the room and gave the impression she was thinking furiously. "They never told us how long ago the sun went nova…"

Marco fought a losing battle with the computer. "Whatever they did, it worked."

Now it was Ax's face imposed upon us, alongside the stereotypical alien that had had such an effect on Rruyshah. Jake chose to concentrate on him. "Is this who you want to rescue?"

"Yes," she said almost apologetically. It didn't seem like something Kelbrid did often.

((My prince,)) The One said as Ax. ((I would have followed you to the end of the universe. And here we are.))

That was all the stimulus Rruyshah needed. "It's a black hole!"

"And they're our only mercy," Jake put it all together. "Rruyshah, is there any other way to escape?"

"I'm not a physicist!"

((It's all gravity, right? So is there anything strong enough to pull us out?))

"I don't know how far we are in. But, we'd have to be really close to it."

"There's another ship out here, right? How close are we to it?" Marco guided the ship around a curve.

"Computer," Jake said sternly. "Turn on all exterior lights."

((How symbolic,)) taunted The One. ((Is that what you see yourself as? A light in the darkness? The good guy?))

"That's it." Marco pointed to a tiny craft.

"There's no way that's going to save us from a black hole!" panicked Matt.

((But we're going for it anyhow.))

We went for it. "Computer," Rruyshah tried to remain strong, "let us know when gravity will pull us to either the black hole or the other ship."

"The computer can do that?" Marco marveled.

"I think."

"Then self-destructing that other one wasn't so bad, I guess."

A step towards forgiveness.

The One was still messing with Jake's mind. ((Do you not regard me as honorable, that I would have let you die in the black hole had you not surrendered to me? A tactic I learned from Aximili.))

"Do you think I care about honor anymore?" Yes, actually, I did, but I wasn't about to tell Jake that.

((Now that you've so conveniently saved yourself, I'll have another chance to find out who you are.))

"If you're so obsessed with me, tell me this: what are you?"

((Why does there need to be such duality between us?))

Jake's answer was a surprise: "There doesn't." The One was too shocked to answer, so he continued. "We've both committed atrocities. I'll ask you the difference: what do you have to fight for?"

((I fight for you: with you in my mind, little pawn, I will need nobody more.))

"Gravity transfer complete: you are now in the domain of control of an unidentified spacecraft," the computer said casually. We were freed from the black hole, but now at the mercy of the other ship.

"Then we will destroy you," Jake sneered again. "We will bring you down."

And I knew in my heart he was right.


	16. Epilogue: Recoil

Dedicated to Ferahgo

**Epilogue: Recoil**

My _Doppelganger_, of course, was right. Jake was stronger than he knew, and his strength would give "The One" power greater than even the Ellimist or Crayak's if it could be captured. But not in the way he thought…not if my plan worked.

We'd competed in our own tame ways for millennia, not the "games" like Crayak delighted in, but simple races to superiority. Having a third equal complicated things, of course, but it claimed "neutrality", assigning The One and myself to arbitrary sides it equated with Crayak and the Ellimist, respectfully.

Not that that was entirely inaccurate. Crayak delighted in The One's prowess for individual annihilation, and The One owed Crayak an infinite debt. Before Crayak's intervention, it had been an individual interchangeable for either of its siblings, a body without a soul.

As had I.

The three of us were created biologically at the will of the Ellimist before he had truly become Ellimist, as well as a conglomeration of minds that he would absorb to gain his power. Mentally, however, we had no being until much later. As far as I can tell, the Ellimist had feared that he would be no better than his predecessor, and so abandoned fragments of long-dead minds that coalesced into Crayak.

To his credit, he was not always as bent on destruction as portrayed. In fact, he had quite a creative and playful streak, one that still manifests itself. He saw our bodies, unconscious to our existence, and imbued us with life, a mutual life that would always hang in the balance between the two extremes of life and death.

The One was the most ambitious of us, but worked slowly enough to remain undetected. It then abruptly (in cosmic terms) struck, absorbing all into its reality. The same principle that had formulated Crayak and the Ellimist was at work: The One was simply that.

Our mutual sibling delighted in labeling the "good" and "evil", and subjecting both to visions of futures that would never come to pass. Although it claimed to favor neither side, its actions hurt everyone, and so in that respect it seemed to ally closer with The One.

I didn't mind, though. I, in fact, encouraged their growth. I'd passively let them push me out of real space as Crayak had done to the Ellimist, then beyond Z-Space to where I could only observe them, The One especially, gain strength.

Because if he was successful, if some way or another, in the acquisition of the human called Jake, I would likewise increase in power for an infinitesimal interval. Had Crayak overlooked that? I couldn't be sure. But in an existence where thought and conversation are the only possibilities, I'd made my guess.

If everything worked out, I would be able to act for that one moment, unleashing the entire antithesis of The One's power upon the Ellimist and Crayak. I'd never be able to stop their game, but I could retrieve the minds they had added to their bloated own. The One's I would be unable to touch, but they would be freed if their corporal bodies were destroyed.

And my prizes? The newly-liberated minds with no forms to return to?

I would set them free in my playground, a level of existence I'm surprised that had never been mathematically substantiated. Scientists throughout the universe knew of the existence of anti-space. The Ellimist interfered in the cases of anti-time.

So why had no one inferred that timelines, the paths of beings that lived and died and loved and killed, would have their own opposites?


End file.
